Cyber Sleuth: The Odd One Out
by ArmoredCoreNineBall
Summary: Seeking to improve his GPA, a certain unlucky Teenager takes on a class that requires forcing himself into using the online platform of EDEN, plunging himself head first into the world of Hackers, Sleuths, and Digital Monsters. A-and are there Espers using it too? What are Magicians doing in Cyber Space? Truly his life is nothing but misfortune in both the real and digital one.
1. Misfortune in EDEN

**Alright, so this is that super-secret project some people might recall me teasing for awhile. No, its not the third Fate x Index story, that much is under question of whether or not I should/want to do one. Truth be told, I actually did attempt it, but it kind of fell apart around the halfway point of writing so I need to go back and re-evaluate it and see if its salvageable at all, or if I should start from scratch on it... or if I should do one at all.**

 **That being said, since it's a crossover from me and kind of a left-field one, I do feel like I have some explaining to do.**

 **Digimon is something I got into a long time ago, around the same time as Pokemon, actually. And while Pokemon has been staying consistent... digimon on the other hand has been fading in and out.**

 **However, they had a rather important comeback, at least in my eyes, on the PlayStation 4 and the Vita in reason years. Three games, two traditional JRPG's while one was a successor to the original Digimon PlayStation on the good ol' PS1. While that one is a treat, I more focus on the other two: Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, and its sequel, Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory.**

 **First of all, if you like Digimon and JRPG's, these two games are musts and you should track them down if you can. Second, these two are much more story focused, homing in on more mature themes and events, while Pokemon as stayed relatively kid-friendly and simple. Not only are these games good, they have solid stories with actual stakes tied to the events unfolding.**

 **Hell, I would argue that Hacker's Memory, despite being more of a side story that just runs alongside the original Cyber Sleuth Plot, is actually better in terms of its storytelling. Drove this proud man to tears even. It affected me greatly, more so than any game I've played this year, and I love that something formerly so childish can end up evolving in the way it has.**

 **So... naturally, I wanted to do something with these two stories. It's a pretty clear and cut story with not much room for sequels... so I thought; why not add a third story to it in the same vein as running alongside the main plot? Then of course, it rang in my head that near-end-of-the-world situations and getting stuck into them is basically a never-ending constant for our Unlucky Kamijou, huh?**

 **...Plus, someone notable on this site did and has been doing a Index x Pokemon story for awhile, so I can go have my fun too, right!?**

 **So that's what this is; a third story to these two, featuring our favorite spiky haired teenager, Kamijou Touma! But the question is... is that all this is? That's up to you to find out!**

 **Well... if you want.**

 **This is genuinely a labor of love; I've been working on this for most of the year since right around March or April i'd say. But at the same time, I understand that this is left field, and in some cases at concept runs with claiming "assumed knowledge," as in it assumes you know the story of the other two games already, so it is pretty niche, even more so if it was just a normal Digimon crossover. I try to describe events from the two other stories, but sometimes I can't do them justice, so I can understand if some of you would like to pass on it.**

 **But for those willing to stick it through, whether this idea seems interesting, you are familiar with Cyber Sleuth and To Aru already, or if your just a fan of my writing wanting to see what crazy bull I've put together this time... thank you. Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.**

 **The current upload schedule will be every Thursday Night/Friday Morning (By my timezone). Current projection is 21 chapters, which may seem short... but trust me; these are longer chapters than I've done for awhile, so hopefully there is plenty of content here for you to enjoy.**

 **For those concerned about The Bust Upper Incident, it's upload schedule remains unchanged; once a month, close to the beginning of the month. On weeks where both of these stories would be updated, you're getting both stories updated. So if you enjoy both, you get double the content, but for those who just want The Bust Upper Incident, your still getting what you want.**

 **That's about all I have to say. Only things to add; naming conventions for various Digimon and their moves has changed between English and Japanese... I'm kind of picking and choosing which ones I side with; which ever one I like more, gets used. Being familiar with both will help... though you can just search on Google to match names to faces. For timeline stuff on the Index side, its sometime in NT; I've left it vague on purpose, but its definitely after NT10, that much is certain.**

 **With all that out of the way... this is my Labor of Love. This is my grand project I've been teasing.**

 **And I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

EDEN.

A cyberspace realm where anyone, young and old, can log into. Its existence, while recent, has revolutionized the communication side of the world. It projects one's mind into it and creates a digital shell for it to inhabit while you are logged in. Through this, even people across the world can be allowed to meet in person, effectively reducing worldly barriers to zero through the open internet.

It had already washed over the world with its massive influence, and Academy City was no different.

Though the vast majority of its information was kept in old style servers and networks in the city's walls for security, even it had taken its place in the digital platform. Typically, their sites consisted of advertising its technology, travel plans to the city, as well as its highly regarded Power-Development Curriculum.

And, needless to say, the populace itself welcomed the digital revolution with opens arms. The idea that students sent to the city could still freely meet their loved ones back home with ease caused its popularity in the city of science to skyrocket.

However… not everyone used the system. As popular as it was, some didn't, or simply couldn't, adopt EDEN into their lives. The most common reason being lack of funds from the level 0's within the city.

But sometimes, you have to bite the bullet…

…Especially when a passing grade so you don't have to repeat a year is on the line.

* * *

"Touma… what is all this for?" A silver-haired girl known as Index asked. The girl held a calico cat in her arms, that meowed rather contently while being held. She asked this while she glanced over a user manual, directing the question at a certain someone sat at his center table, fiddling with several devices.

One of which was a sophisticated laptop, as well as a set of goggles.

"Stuff designed to help me ace my classes with 100% certainty, otherwise I'll be held back and the life of this misfortunate Kamijou will get even worse as his former classmates insult him regularly."

Kamijou Touma was in a troubling position. In order to pass his current year and move on in high school, he needed to take on another optional course; which one didn't matter, but he absolutely had to pick one. He thought long and hard about what to take, and he eventually decided on a programming course that a few of his other classmates had entered into.

However, it was specifically geared towards EDEN; a service he had never used before. He couldn't; when you're just barely getting by while supporting a ravenous nun that could eat as much as the combined populace of a small nation, certain things have to take a backseat to survival.

But when put into a corner, even this unlucky Kamijou had to do everything he could to secure his state of living in the world.

Even if it meant skipping out on a few meals for a few weeks. At least his laundry came with his dorm for free though; it's the little things in life that get you by, right?

"I know I've heard of this EDEN place… and it still seems like a bad idea." A little girl, only about 15CM tall, spoke on the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder. "Just as a concept this seems incredibly dangerous. I have been seeing news; some disease known as EDEN syndrome is on the rise…"

"I heard about that, Othinus… but even so! I need to keep my grades up not only to stay in my current year… but also to keep living here. I don't want to have to take three or four jobs just to hold down an apartment…" Touma replied.

"…Which you would immediately lose the moment something happened in the world and undoubtedly pulled you into it?" Othinus questioned.

"Now you understand… that's why I've avoided a part-time job… with everything I get involved with, I'd lose it within a week." Touma replied, starting up the computer. "Alright… wait for it to fully start up… then I just need to sync it with my Digivice…"

Kamijou Touma held up the set of goggles he had. They didn't look like it, but they were in fact a sophisticated piece of technology designed to interface with EDEN. Putting them on near an EDEN-enabled terminal would allow one to travel to the legendary digital platform.

"…I still don't understand… it… takes your brain and puts you in cyber space?" Index tilted her head.

"From what I understand; yeah… it projects your consciousness into an avatar and allows you to wander around… I have no idea what to expect…" Touma sighed. "…I don't know what I'm doing to be honest…"

Index blinked a few times, glancing back and forth between the unlucky Kamijou and the computer he was working with.

"…Touma… what is cyber space?" Index asked.

"…You've used the internet before, right?" Touma deadpanned.

"Oh… b-but how are you traveling to a two-dimensional plane? Will I be able to click and drag you like you showed me?" Index asked.

"N-not like that! EDEN is like… oh how the hell do I put it…" Touma replied. "It's like… an alternate dimension of some kind made using the internet as a base… I guess? I'm not an expert… never used it before."

"Alternate dimension… like a phase?" Index asked. "S-so the science side has advanced so far that they can create their own phases now!? A-and using those cheap looking goggles you can travel there, like astral projection!?"

The comment that his Digivice, that he spent a majority of his money on (It was even more expensive than the laptop, but it had the reviews behind to justify a purchase), was just a cheap set of goggles made the unlucky Kamijou die a little inside.

"I-If that makes sense to you, it's probably not that wrong?" Touma rubbed his neck.

"T-then I want to try! I can't do magic myself, but I've always wanted to try astral projection! Can I? Please!?" Index begged.

"M-maybe later… I need to get everything set-up with my own account for school." The spiky haired teen replied.

"B-but… Touma!" Index cried out again. Touma sighed and turned to face the silver-haired nun.

"…Index, if I can't keep my grades up and stay where I am in my schooling… I'll have to divert all of my income towards a place to live… that means I'll have to severely cut back on things… like food."

If it's one thing that got Index to listen, it was the concept of food.

"I-is that true!? T-Touma, if we have to cut back on food… I'll die!" Index shouted. "O-ok! Do what you need to do! I'll take care of everything out here so you don't have to worry! I'll… I-I'll even cook dinner tonight!" With that, the silver-haired nun released the calico cat form her arms and darted to the unlucky Kamijou's kitchen.

"H-hey! The last time you did that you used laundry detergent as spaghetti sauce!" Touma shouted. "…It's probably too late, isn't it? Such misfortune…"

"…I'll try and divert her actions so we get something edible… no guarantee she'll listen to me though." Othinus hopped off the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder. "Before you ask; I've been cooking for myself since I became a Magic God; even if I ate only on occasion for pleasure I still enjoyed the concept of food. If the nun listens to me we should at least get something… suitable for human consumption."

"…I'm guessing a Magic God's tastes are radically different from a simple human's huh?" Touma rubbed his neck.

"You should feel privileged; with her hands doing the work, I'll essentially be cooking for you personally." Othinus replied.

"…Looking forward to it, Othi-chan." Touma smiled. The tiny Magic God looked back with a blush before racing off to the kitchen, hopefully to get ahold of Index before she sent someone to the hospital.

Touma glanced at his computer; the initial set-up for EDEN was complete, and was waiting for input.

All that was left to do was to put his Digivice goggles on and be taken away.

* * *

It felt like he was flying when he first put them on and it gave him the logging in pop-up. The goggles he wore were suddenly gone but the rest of his body was soaring through a rainbow series of lights.

And when those lights died down, he appeared in a massive open space. Inside however, were a collection of several city-like areas that spanned across the entire white expanse. Each one could be seen as a collection of sites one could visit, considering of chatrooms, business websites… and many more. As he glanced at each one, a pop-up appeared describing it followed with an option to travel there. A little bit of experimenting showed that all he needed to do was reach out to the pop-up to send his Avatar towards it, though he could back-out during the connection process if he wanted.

It felt like he was truly flying. And this was just the top of the iceberg; there were many other servers he could visit besides the one he was in.

He was just in the main EDEN Server, a natural starting point for all new users.

Eventually, he decided on a place to land, promptly called the "EDEN Entrance."

He flew down, darting around several digital constructs, before eventually landing in the starting place for many EDEN patrons.

"This… is really freaky…" Touma commented, looking at his own hands. His sense of touch was still on, but everything felt just a little… off. He had to guess it was how the system simulated the human senses. He pinched himself to check, and the pain he felt gave him the answer he wanted.

"…I guess when it comes to something like this, it must have been all or nothing when it comes to your human senses…?" Touma guessed. He truly had no idea how EDEN worked so the best he could do was assume.

"Welcome to EDEN! Ask me if you need any help, ok?" A robotic-sounding voice called out. Right before a set of stairs that lead to several private pavilions, a little light blue robot with a football shaped head floated in place. It had a black screen for a face, which projected a constant happy face.

It must have called out to him because he was new. It made sense that systems on this level would be able to tell if a user was new or not.

Touma initially questioned why Academy City hadn't done something like this. The owner and developer of EDEN was a Japanese company, Kamishiro Enterprises, but they were based out in Tokyo rather than the head of scientific research that was Academy City.

But then Touma recalled the various experiments the city was involved with and shook his head; for those bigwig scientists, something like this probably seemed like a minor project at best.

A pop-up came on his screen. It read, "Phone call from **xXx-BSB825-xXx** , do you accept?"

Touma, curious as to who was trying to get ahold of him, accepted. Almost immediately, another voice entered his head, sounding like it was coming from someone right next to him.

"Hey, Kami-yan! What's up?"

Touma blinked.

"…Tsuchimikado?" He asked.

"Yeah, what's happening? Why no video chat, nya?"

"I… didn't even know video chat was an option or how to set it…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"Eh… well it's probably your first time in, so I'll show you later I guess. I'm the grandmaster and you're the lowly newbie, nya." Tsuchimikado stated.

"…Hey, question… I just made my account as I was installing the software… how do you know my account?" Touma asked.

"Do you really want to know?"

"…On second thought, knowing you, it's probably something highly illegal… so I'll pass…"

"Your loss, nya!" Tsuchimikado joked. "Hey, I see you're over in the EDEN Entrance… but you're probably bored of that, right? So much white… so dull."

"I guess… I mean, I just got here… what's that got to do with anything?"

"I know a place… a secret place that you can't find on a search engine. Unless someone gives you the URL, you're not getting in, nya."

"…I feel like I should refuse because you're the one giving me the information." Touma sighed.

"Come on Kami-yan, don't be like that!" Tsuchimikado replied. "I'll be there too to find you in a bit. I'm just figuring knowing you that you'd probably like to know this place existed is all. Come on… it can't hurt just to check a place out, right?"

Touma mulled it over in his mind. Truthfully, stuff like this from Tsuchimikado Motoharu should be refused outright for his own safety.

But on the other hand, the last time he tried to say no, he found himself gas bombed and woke up in an airport.

Either way, he was screwed. Such misfortune.

"…Alright, I'll bite. Send me the URL… and tell me how to punch in custom URLs while you're at it." Touma replied.

After a little bit of talking and instructing, Touma was up in the air again after walking back over to the logout terminal.

All he had to do was punch in the custom URL Tsuchimikado had sent him into the Heads-Up Display that popped up.

"…Kowloon, huh?" Touma spoke to himself as he entered in the URL. His body took a sharp left and flew towards the very middle of EDEN. It looked like he was about to crash into one of the walls, but a hole opened up just at the last minute to allow passage.

When he opened his eyes again (As he slammed them shut, fearing a rather violent impact), he was standing in a different location.

Everything was made of blue shapes, ranging from small to large. They were primarily blocks, but spheres and even cones were visible. Parts of them glowed at random, but this didn't seem to mean much.

Many of them were fused together rather haphazardly. Hell, even the ground he walked was made of these random shapes.

The only information Touma managed to get from the sunglasses-wearing blond was that this area was known as the "graveyard of data," and that Tsuchimikado would be around to find him soon.

"…Well, in a case like this… I suppose I might as well look around." Touma shrugged and began to walk forward. Needless to say, his surroundings were vastly different when compared to before; it was a lot more barren and a low hymn gave the entire area an eerie feeling. His first stop was an abandoned kid's park, though he questioned why such a thing was here to begin with. Little else seemed to catch the spiky-haired teen's eye, and he quickly pressed on.

However, this area too had its fair share of people, though most of them kept their distance and looked more than a little shady. They spoke in hushed tones and seemed to single the unlucky Kamijou before dispersing.

And then one particular started following him. He wore a red cap, an orange shirt, and blue jeans. He actually tailed the unlucky Kamijou for a good minute before he sighed and stopped moving.

"…Can I help you?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"Course you can; I already got all your nifty account info. Who would have thought such an easy sucker would have dropped right into my lap, eh?" The boy, roughly around Touma's age, spoke in a rather cocky tone.

"…My account info?" Touma turned to face him.

"That's right~ So how about we skip the chit-chat and go to the point where you wire me your money… otherwise I'll have this account of yours go off and get involved with some shady business… so what do you say?" The boy replied.

Touma didn't fully understand, but what he could pick up on was that this teenager had stolen enough of his personal information somehow and is threatening to blackmail him if he doesn't pay him off.

However…

"…Hah. That's funny." Touma laughed, but his tone couldn't have been darker. "I barely have enough money myself, let alone enough for a bribe… looks like I'm having my identity stolen again… such misfortune…"

"Don't try and mess with me; I can break into your bank around really easily from here; me asking is just a formality you bastard." The male threatened, but Touma only laughed darker.

"Go ahead… see it and see my despair for yourself." The unlucky Kamijou sighed. Seemingly miffed, the teenager did just that, clicking away in a virtual keyboard and shifting through several console screens that popped up around him.

Only when he saw the spiky-haired teenager's bank account did he truly understand.

"O-oh… holy shit…!" The hacker stated.

"Yeah; I live basically from paycheck to paycheck; you're hitting up a dry well pal." Touma rubbed his neck.

"H-how the hell are you living!? Is all this shit food!? J-just how many people are you supporting!?"

"…Less than you think, but more than I'd like to be." Touma looked away sheepishly.

"Even if you weren't… holy hell… a-and I thought Academy City kids were loaded or something…"

"Who the hell told you that!? I'll smack them around myself!" Touma shouted.

"Hey now, you calm down; I can take you out whenever I want!" The hacker shot back. "I may not be able to get any cash from you, but I sure as shit can just steal your account and sell it!"

"…You're mad that you put effort into a wasted gesture, aren't you?" Touma asked.

"S-shut up you- Ow!" The hacker suddenly cried out as something stepped on his foot as he walked by.

And that something was unusual indeed. It was a small animal of some kind with a set of clawed arms and legs and a long tail, accompanied by purple fur on most of its body, except for its chest, paws, snout and the very tip of its long tail. It had two pointed ears with black stripes and two very small black wings on its back. It fully turned to face the two briefly, showing a triangular red gem on its brow. It tilted its head for a moment before running off once more, heading off towards the back of the area.

"…A wild animal? In cyber space?" Touma crossed his arms.

"W-wild animal my ass; that's a Digimon! A super rare one too!" The hacker was quick to cry out. "H-hey! Help me catch it and all that hacking stuff is water under a bridge!"

"Y-you're that quick to drop it!?"

"You have no god damn clue how much a Dorumon is worth! I could sell your account a hundred times over and not even make a quarter of it all! Just shut up and help me!" The hacker then ran off after the mysterious "Digimon" creature.

Touma was tempted to run off himself, but the fact that the hacker still had his account info left a bad taste in his mouth.

"…I probably don't have much of a choice, do I?" Touma sighed and joined the chase.

It didn't take long. They ended up in the very back of Kowloon's first floor, near a non-functional log-out zone. The hacker had cornered the creature, with the only chance of escape being a rather nasty drop into nothingness.

The Digimon, apparently known as "Dorumon," backed up as close to the edge as it could. One could see the poor thing shivering in fear, holding his tiny arms over its head.

"And here we go… a nice juicy payday for lil' ol me." The hacker practically licked his lips in anticipation.

"…So you caught it- ow!" A blue block fell from the sky and landed right on the unlucky Kamijou's head. It looked like the others; it must have just been another piece of garbage data. "...You've got to be kidding me… what are the chances of that?" Touma rubbed his head.

"Quit fooling around and keep an eye out! This guy could try and dart to the side!" The teenager called out.

"Hey; I helped you corner it, so hold up your end and delete the information you stole!" Touma demanded.

"Son of a… fine!" The hacker opened up his consoles once again and began clicking and tapping away. A short time later, Touma received some kind of a message as his consoles closed. "There, I deleted everything; I even sent you screenshots. You can check the directory and the file type if you think they're falsified. Now just help make sure he doesn't run away, alright!?"

"…Alright then." Touma walked up behind the hacker.

The Dorumon looked up briefly before covering its eyes again, still shivering. It didn't know where it was or why it was here.

However, it seemed like his time of freedom was at its end.

At least, that's what it seemed like. It heard a loud thud in front of it and looked up to see the hacker who was chasing him out cold on his side.

And Touma, who was holding the cubic piece of garbage data that had hit him in his right hand.

"That's for trying to blackmail me, asshole." Touma said simply before tossing the cube off the edge. "Really is a good thing that worked… was worried that knocking him out would be impossible in cyber space…" He glanced at the Dorumon, who began to shiver again.

However, the unlucky Kamijou simply smiled and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Don't worry; I'm not after you. You can run along… I have no idea what you are, but you seem all right. Take care." Touma turned and walked away, seemingly intent on leaving as he made his way back to the entrance Kowloon. He was interested that apparently this was just Kowloon's first level, but he decided it was time to call it a day; he could get ahold of Tsuchimikado later and explain what happened.

However, as he walked, he almost fell over when something grabbed his leg.

And that something was the very Dorumon he had just saved. It clung to his leg as if it was frightened and begging to be protected.

Touma raised an eyebrow and reached for the little creature, kneeling down in the process. It backed up reflexively, but eventually let the unlucky Kamijou pet him lightly. Slowly but surely, the Digimon, or so it was called, calmed down; the only place it seemingly didn't like to be touched was the red gem on its head.

But there was something important the spiky haired teen was able to notice.

"…His fur feels real." Touma commented. He hadn't felt many textures in EDEN, but the few he did make contact with felt very plain and uninteresting; clearly simulated sensations.

But touching Dorumon… he felt like he was interacting with a real animal.

Dorumon caught Touma's hand in his mouth as the spiky-haired teenager pulled back, but the purple creature only nibbled gently; no pain at all. Touma read somewhere that some animals, particularly young ones, can display affection through gentle nibbling like that.

"…You happy I saved you, little guy?" Touma smiled and pet Dorumon with his other hand. The purple creature's maw cured upwards lightly, and the unlucky Kamijou took it as a smile. "Well, don't worry; you should have enough time to get away before that big guy wakes up." Touma pushed himself up and turned to leave again, but the purple creature grabbed ahold of his leg again.

He was frowning, constantly tugging at Touma's pants leg.

"…What? You want to come with me or something?" Touma asked. The little Dorumon smiled again; while it appeared that he couldn't speak, it was very clear he understood what the spiky-haired teenager was saying. Touma was conflicted, however.

The only animal he had taken care of was Index's cat, Sphynx, and that he was reluctant to do for many reasons. Plus, due to his bad luck, he never had good luck with animals.

However… the situation on his hands was more than a little different from the usual "getting a pet" scenario. Moreover, Dorumon definitely appeared as though he wanted to stay with him.

After a few moments mulling it over, he made a decision.

"I mean… how do I even… do that? It's not like you'll just follow me if I log out and somehow appear in my arms back home… and I doubt I could get my hands on some storage server to put you when I'm not here in EDEN…" He spoke aloud as he thought.

Dorumon tilted his slightly; he didn't seem to know much either.

"…Well that guy did mention capturing you… so you must be some kind of data or a program? Maybe I could… install you or something…? Though I don't think we should wait around for that guy to wake up… it can't be as easy as just picking you up, can it?" Touma reached down, picking up the purple creature in his arms. "…I don't feel any different… nothing new on my Digivice… how about you little guy?"

Dorumon shook his head, though he seemed rather content being held. Touma sighed.

"Figures… Digimon huh… maybe I can find one of those people in the earlier areas and ask them? Hopefully I can find someone not trying to con me into something…" Touma thought to himself while the little Dorumon wagged his fluffy tail back and forth in Touma's arms.

However, a loud sound interrupted the two. It resonated from where they had left that hacker. He turned, and saw a bright orange light.

A swirl erupted out from the light and something took its place, slamming into the ground with a loud thud.

It looked like some kind of mass of tentacles, each one varying in length and size, its entire body was covered in a black and white dazzle camouflage pattern, but the pattern itself moved around the creature's body as if it was a liquid. The only other noticeable characteristic was a mechanical looking eye right in the center. It looked around quickly, as if it was searching for something.

Its eye locked onto the unconscious hacker and began to slither closer to him.

"H-hey… that thing isn't a friend of yours is it?" Touma looked down at the purple creature in his arms.

Dorumon looked up and shook his head no. The black and white monster however paused in its advance toward the hacker as its eye suddenly shifted.

It was looking right at the unlucky Kamijou. The two stared at each other for a time before the monster suddenly turned and started slithering toward Touma instead.

Touma gulped, reflexively backing up three steps.

The monster slithered forward four times.

Touma took another three steps back.

The monster suddenly shot up into the air and tried to pounce upon him, narrowly missing as Touma jumped back.

"Y-you've got to be kidding me! Tsuchimikado, the next time I see you, I'm going to kick your asssssssss!" Touma turned and ran, eager to escape from whatever monster was attacking him, doing so with the little Dorumon in his arms.

The black and white tentacle monster however continued its pursuit, slithering along at a rather fast pace.

"T-this is a bunch of bullshit! I haven't even spent twenty minutes online, and I've already nearly had my identity stolen, and how I'm under attack by some weird tentacle creature straight out of a bad doujinshi! Such misfortune!" Touma cried out as he ran. The monster suddenly leapt over him, landing right in front of the unlucky Kamijou, forcing him to make a sharp left to avoid outright crashing into the creature.

Dorumon wined lightly in Touma's arms.

"D-Don't worry! I just need to make my way to a log out zone, and then we'll be home free!" Touma cried out. He was back in one of the earlier areas now, on his way to the abandoned children's park if all went well.

However, it was never meant to be that easy.

There were a few walls around as Touma turned down the path, but the black and white creature leapt over the boundaries and landed right in the middle of the road.

"…Persistent bastard, aren't you!? Can't you cut me a break!?" Touma shouted. The monster slithered closer to the unlucky Kamijou, ignoring his words completely.

Touma cursed; whatever this thing was, it did not intend to let him escape.

He had no idea if Dorumon could fight at all; he didn't even know what Digimon were until just a little bit ago… hell; even now, he really didn't know.

But… if he could hurt that hacker in this virtual world…

It appeared that a fight of some kind was how this was going to be settled.

However, what couldn't be anticipated was how quick the fight was.

The black and white monster leapt into the air once more to pounce on the spiky-haired teenager, but just as it did so, two blasts of energy suddenly slammed into the creature, exploding upon impact. The monster slammed into the ground with a loud thud, and stopped moving.

It came from the direction Touma had just run from. He turned and stopped dead at what he saw.

A massive machine looking akin to some kind of dinosaur, similar to a tyrannosaurus rex. Covered in grey plates and a few red and blue wires here and there, the mech was absolutely massive; easily taking up the small corridor he had just run down. The most notable things were the black-plated head that had no eyes and the set of massive cannons on its back.

"Are you alright? It didn't hurt you, did it?" A lone voice called out. It came from a rather short boy standing in-between the machine's legs.

He wore grey pants, an expensive looking white jacket with a furred collar, and had straight white hair with grey eyes. He did have a smile, but otherwise he didn't stand out so much.

"N-no… I'm fine… um… I-I'm guessing that big guy behind you is… yours?" Touma stated.

"Indeed. My Digimon; Machinedramon." The boy replied. "…You appear to have one as well though, so why are you surprised?"

"…I don't even know what a Digimon is; I kind of just met this little guy right before that thing attacked me." Touma gestured towards the motionless black and white monster. "…Speaking of which, what the hell is that thing?"

"No idea; they are a recent occurrence… I'm looking into them but I am very far away from having any noteworthy information…" The boy replied. "Though from how you put it… you're a complete newbie who happened to find their way to Kowloon…?"

"…A friend of mine sent me a link and told me to check it out." Touma replied.

"Ah… I believe this friend of yours may have been setting you up for failure then; Kowloon is the den of all kinds of hackers… the good and the bad." The white-haired male crossed his arms.

"…Considering Tsuchimikado, that might very well be the case… such misfortune…" Touma sighed. "But still… thanks for your help… urm…"

"Yuugo," The boy stated. "Most people just call me Yuugo. I have a few more… lucrative titles, but we can save those for when we meet again… well, if we do meet anyway."

"…Well, thanks Yuugo." Touma replied. "My name is Kamijou Touma. This is a weird way to meet someone, but that's the kind of world we live in these days I guess."

"I agree; we must take the few good instances in life while we can." Yuugo nodded. The white-haired boy opened up his console around him and began tapping away, and not long after he was finished, Touma received a file of some kind.

"…What's this?" The spiky-haired teen asked.

"Digimon Capture." Yuugo stated. "Digimon, in essence, are programs, and that will let you register and store Digimon in your Digivice. Most use and modify Digimon for hacking purposes, as they are very customizable for those with the skills… but there are a few who see Digimon as companions or pets; it's not illegal to have them or anything… plus that Dorumon appears very attached to you; was I wrong in assuming you were looking for a way to take him with you?"

True to the boy's word, Dorumon was wagging his tail happily now that danger had passed.

"I-I mean… yeah I was looking for a way… but is it really ok for me to have this?" Touma asked.

"Of course… consider it a reward for what you went through with that monster; what you do with it is your business I suppose." Yuugo stated. "I normally don't hand it out myself… but I feel like giving it to you couldn't hurt."

"…Heh, I mean… a gift is a gift. If you do anything more for me though, I'll start feeling embarrassed." Touma rubbed his neck. "So just… install and register…?"

"If your Dorumon is willing, it should be a nearly an instant." Yuugo replied. After pulling up Touma's own console, he set the purple creature down and began tapping away. Dorumon glowed for a moment, but it didn't last long.

"I guess… that it? So he can just store himself in my Digivice?" Touma asked, getting a nod in response. "That's… cool. I guess we're partners then, little guy!" he knelt down to pet the little Dorumon again, who would only smile and occasionally sigh happily at the attention.

Yuugo smiled, but something caught his attention.

The motionless black and white monster twitched slightly. It did so only once before it suddenly shot forward, launching itself on a crash course for Kamijou Touma.

"Machinedramon! Take it down!" Yuugo called out. His machine Digimon began to move, but it wouldn't be quick enough.

And to make matters worse, at the angle the monster was attacking from, the only way to attack it would be to vaporize Touma along with the monster; there wasn't a way to save him.

Touma's eyes widened as he turned towards the tentacle monster, only to see it an inch away from his face. So he did what he would do in any other situation, even if it were a fruitless gesture.

He held out his right hand.

The effect was immediate; upon contact, a loud shattering sound rippled out through the area and the monster was completely obliterated. Not a single trace of it remained.

The only thing left behind was a speck of blue light, which faded away shortly after with little fanfare to signal it had even been there to begin with.

Touma blinked a few times, pulling his hand back to stare at it.

"…Imagine… Breaker?" Touma questioned. "…It came with me? But… how?"

Now was not the time to question what had happened, however.

"What was that just now? What did you do?" Yuugo questioned. Touma froze in place; not quite sure how to explain.

"W-well! Y-you see…!" Touma rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of a way to explain it. "I-I'm from Academy City! So…!"

"…So you're an Esper?' The white-haired boy asked.

"Y-yeah! So…!" Touma trailed off, looking back at his right hand again. All the while Dorumon simply tilted his head and wagged his tail, curious as to what was happening.

Touma didn't really have much of an explanation. How Imagine Breaker managed to manifest in his EDEN Avatar was a complete mystery, and he didn't exactly like to explain how it worked, especially the hoops that came with explaining it.

However, it appeared he wouldn't need to in this case.

"…Is that so? That explains it… I suppose." Yuugo appeared as though he wanted to press the topic, but spoke as though he had accepted it anyway. "…Though to annihilate one of those with one shot… not even my Machinedramon can do that easily…"

"I-It's not that special." Touma stated. "It's just… e-eh?" Touma looked at his console as he spoke to check the time.

7:28PM.

"C-Crap! It's that late already! This is bad!" Touma suddenly cried out.

"…Eh?" Yuugo blinked.

"H-hey! Thanks again for your help, and for the Digimon Capture thing; but this unlucky Kamijou has to go before a certain nun gets mad about missing dinner! T-though she supposedly was going to trying cooking it… being this late practically guarantees I'm going to be violently assaulted! I have to go; thanks again!"

And with that, the spiky haired teenager known as Kamijou Touma ran straight for the logout zone as fast as he could, leaving the humble Yuugo behind.

The white-haired boy blinked a few times before glancing back at his Machinedramon. The Mecha Digimon didn't have much to offer it seemed, as it vanished shortly after. Yuugo's eyes shifted to the path that the unlucky Kamijou had just ran down.

"…Kamijou Touma, huh?" Yuugo spoke to himself. After a moment or two, he activated a phone application and contacted someone.

It rang several times before whoever he was trying to get ahold of picked up.

"…It's me." Yuugo spoke. "Yeah, I have a job I'd like you and your group to take. It's about looking into someone… yeah; I'll meet with you and discuss the details… oh no, it's not something life-threatening, it's just someone I'm curious about that I can't look into myself at the moment… listen, just because I'm the leader of Zaxon doesn't mean I can't have a mild curiosity every now and then, and I happen to be getting back to work after a short break I took... alright, meet me in the forum; we can discuss the payment and the details then."

With that, Yuugo left the area so cleanly it was as if he had never been there.

Though it was Kamijou Touma's first appearance in EDEN, it wouldn't be his last.

A new adventure in the world of science and magic was just about to begin.

* * *

 **And so, that's the first chapter!**

 **What do you think? Like it so far? I certainly hope you enjoy this little introduction!**

 **See you next time, everyone!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review as your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Take it easy, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	2. Cyberspace Magic

**Hello again, everyone! Chapter 2 has arrived.**

 **First, I'd like to say thank you for reading. This story received a surprisingly positive reaction, which surprised me because I figured it'd be too niche for folks to really enjoy, considering Digimon's popularity in recent years, and the fact that this is based on one of the more recent entries in the series rather than something more recognizable like Digimon Adventure. I know some folks are here for more of the To Aru side of things, I'm still happy this story got the response It got. Truly, thank you.**

 **Before we dive in, we have some reviews to respond to!**

 _whwsms:_ Hehe... yeah I've been a tad excited about this, but I'm glad you decided to take a look. Most of the digimon stuff can be looked up or found out somehow: I think even the first Cyber Sleuth game even has a complete "The Movie" video out online, where it is just all of the story bits all in one package (It's a tad long, but it is everything), as well as wiki information for just about everything else. As for why our unlucky friend was thrown to the wolves... well; you'll see. That said, thanks for taking a chance, and if you have the time in-between your own writings, I hope to see you here again!

 _Mr. X:_ Sorry that you feel that way. As said, I did attempt a third story... but it fell apart around the halfway mark. I'm thinking about giving it a rework... but the question of whether or not the series needs a third entry is kind of up in the air. I understand that this is a left-field decision for little ol' me, so if you would rather not stick this story through, I understand. I'll see you in December's edition of The Bust Upper Incident.

 _Animan10:_ Glad your enjoying this start! Good luck in your wiki-diving!

 _Ace1stonewall:_ I've noticed that finding crossover stories is easy... but finding good ones that continue is exceptionally difficult. Hopefully this one keeps your attention and lives up to your standard of quality.

 _Willamz0:_ Hehe! Thanks for taking a look and following the story! Ami will appear... just not right away. Don't worry though; our unlucky Kamijou will interact with both sides of the Cyber Sleuth games.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Believe me, I know. Making sure everything mixes well is very important, and making the story seem plausible can either set or sink a story... but I'm glad you feel that this one is going well! I'll try to give as much information as I can, as for with my idea with this, I can't just do a full rewrite of both Cyber Sleuth and Hacker's Memory, but I will be doing my best! Ask any questions and i'll be more than happy to explain... as long as they aren't spoiler-ish. Touma starting off by being tossed into hell and being told "Good luck," really is the norm for him now, isn't it!? Hopefully were all this is going will make sense here!

 _Guest (1):_ Hopefully you'll enjoy this, despite being crossed with the games! Truly, Touma's dinner will not be good that night... such misfortune...

 _EspadaJ18:_ His life is nothing but misfortune... and with no sign of that changing in sight. Sadly, not it is not; it's in its own continuity. No sudden Gilgamesh or Artoria appearances here.

 _ptl:_ Imagine Breaker rules on nullifying "Unnatural" things, even if something is Super Natural, like souls, they sometimes won't be negated. Digimon, even if foreign entities, are a natural occurrence... and the implication for Eaters here... i'll let you figure out.

 _wiliamsusanto:_ More or less; Touma adventures in Cyber Space. As for the locals looking into our unlucky Kamijou... you'll see how that plays out.

 _wolfking:_ Yes, yes he will. And now that you mention it... fufu~

 _NeoShadows:_ Well, call me surprised! I didn't think you'd be into Digimon, let alone the specific-ness of Cyber Sleuth! yes, Kyoto Kuremi will appear... but more as a occasional minor character. As the idea here is that Touma's situation is more of a additional story, running alongside the events of Cyber Sleuth, much like its sequel, Hacker's Memory did. Touma with cross path's with both sides of the coin, but his path is his own... for the moment. Glad you enjoyed the first chapter!

 _vietnamese guy:_ Shhh! Don't tell him I'm heeeerrrreeeee! Glad your enjoying the story so far. Perdicting Dorumon's line, are we? We will have to wait and see if you end up being correct...! I can kind of understand that desire for him to have a more no-name digimon, considering who Touma is, but there is a method to my madness, I assure you.

 _Guest (2):_ ...Yeah, Othinus is 15CM Tall. Are you suggesting you are too!?

 **Alright, with all that said... I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"This is an unusual job among unusual jobs… I mean; if Yuugo wanted to look into someone, why wouldn't he do it himself? I mean; he has the resources and the man-power with Zaxon… why delegate something like this to us?" A teenager spoke openly as he wandered the EDEN Community Area, speaking as though he was on the phone. He was rather average looking at first glance; he was a Japanese teenager who had short black hair, and wore a blue hoodie, a white shirt, and black pants. The most notable things about him were the butterfly-like insignia on the back of his hoodie and his shirt, and the fact he had natural dead-fish black eyes, which had the oddity of making him look more average yet more unique at the same time.

"Don't know… it is a little unusual." A reply came from the other side of the Digiline. "Keisuke, is it clear enough for a video chat? The line is getting some weird readings and I'm having trouble seeing things from my end."

"Should be fine Imai-san, the target isn't around yet." Keisuke stated. Not long after a video screen opened up in his HUD.

What displayed was a male in his early twenties with amber-colored eyes, short but wavy blond hair, and a blue shirt with black pants. He also had a blue hoodie with the same insignia as Keisuke.

The blond's name was Imai Chitose, and the one in the field currently was Amazawa Keisuke.

They were both part of a hacker group, simply known as Hudie, a four man team that took on hacking jobs for a living.

And they had been given a rather specific job by the head of Zaxon, the dominant hacker team in all of EDEN.

"How many times do I have to tell you? There's no need to be formal around here! Chitose is fine! Especially when I'm running support for you; I have other things I could be doing you know!" Chitose shouted.

"F-fine… Chitose-san, can I get a refresher on the job?" Keisuke asked.

"Eh? Forget the target because you're nervous?" Chitose laughed lightly. "It's fine… loosen up! A Zaxon job is a Zaxon job, even if it is from the head honcho himself!"

"…Come on; just humor me. I want to make sure we get the right person is all." Keisuke sighed.

"Fine, fine. Here's everything we know," Chitose began. "Targets name is Kamijou Touma. Preliminary background check states that he is sixteen years old, average high school student. Height is 168 centimeters, has dark blue eyes and black spiky-black hair. Only real thing of note is that he's a resident of Academy City… other than that; he's more average than you are, and that's really saying something."

"…Thanks." Keisuke grumbled. "…Why someone in Academy City though? You don't think-"

"That Yuugo might have a beef with the city or someone inside? Not likely." Chitose replied. "If that were the case, we'd be targeting some bigwig, not your typical high school student… though the possibility of him being the son of someone important exists… I suppose that'll be up to Ryuji and Erika's side of this job though."

"They're handling the in-depth background check, right?" The black-haired teenager slipped his hands into his pockets as he began to look around again.

The other two parts of this four-man team were Mishima Ryuji and Mishima Erika; a brother and a sister. Ryuji was a tall and lean man in his early twenties with short grey hair and grey eyes, and normally carried a serious expression. Erika on the other hand was teenager around the normal age of a high school student with distinct yellow eyes and long blue hair, and normally carried a rather depressed expression.

"Right; the preliminary check is just what we can find on public record. The dark secrets the guy has locked away is what they're looking into; family, criminal history if applicable: the works. But considering it's Academy City they're working on…"

"…Yeah, I can see why I was put on actually tracking the guy. We got the easy side by comparison." Keisuke frowned.

"No lie; breaking Academy City's encryption will be tough… might even give the little lady a run for her money." Chitose replied. "And that's even if the information we're after is up on EDEN at all; a lot of their hush-hush stuff are in private networks outside of EDEN or the internet as a whole, and anything on that front we can't touch without breaking into the city itself and hacking from the inside, which if it wasn't obvious, is way out of our league… but if there is anything on EDEN, they'll find it. I know you're disappointed that the little lady isn't running as your support this time, but Ryuji really needed the help."

"It's fine… and what are you implying with that?" Keisuke crossed his arms.

"Nothing, nothing at all~ I'm innocent, I swear." Chitose laughed. "You just need to make contact… an accidental bump should be enough to sneak one of my special packages onto him… then we'll be able to track and listen in on him at our leisure."

"And he's going to show up here sometime soon?" Keisuke looked around the EDEN Community area; no one matching the description Chitose gave him.

"I happened to know a guy is all. Kamijou Touma should be meeting someone within the next half hour in this area; we just need to keep our eyes and ears open." The blond replied. "…Well, look at that! The funky distortion I was getting is gone, so I can properly read the area… awesome!"

"I'm closing the video portion then; it's a bit of a distraction." The black-haired teenager replied.

"Roger that; if I need it open again I'll let you know… huh?" Chitose's tone suddenly turned serious. "Eyes up rookie, someone is joining the server now."

Keisuke's eyes shifted over to the logout zone; typically, anyone first arriving would land just in front of it.

And a certain someone just happened to land right in that very spot.

Black spiky hair. Dark blue eyes. Exuded an aura of average.

It was as close of a match as one could get for the information he had to work with.

"…Man, Tsuchimikado better show up this time." The spiky-haired teenager stated, rubbing the back of his head. "This misfortunate Kamijou has better things to do than wait around for someone who doesn't even bother to show up…"

"…Hear that? Kamijou; that's the family name… unless he has a twin brother, it looks like our man. It's your time to shine, rookie!" Chitose spoke cheerfully. Keisuke nodded and began to approach his target.

He just needed to walk past him, maybe bump into him to lengthen the time he would be in range.

As luck would have it, he would get exactly what he needed… just not in the way he expected.

Just as they would cross paths, the unlucky Kamijou tripped and fell forward, inadvertently flinging his arms out as he did so, accidentally grabbing Keisuke and dragging him down with him, the two landing with a rather loud thud.

"…Such misfortune…" Touma lamented.

"You can say that again… ow…" Keisuke stated.

"Sorry… are you ok?" Touma pushed himself up.

"I'm fine… I'm just glad we didn't fall near the stairs…" Keisuke rubbed his head as he climbed to his feet.

"…No kidding. We can't break bones in EDEN, can we?"

"If we can, I demand a refund."

"Guh… I can't… I'm stuck with this otherwise I'll have to repeat a year because of a programming class… such misfortune…" Touma sighed.

"I suppose that's life… take care, ok?" Keisuke spoke and turned away from the spiky-haired teenager. They parted ways with that, Keisuke heading towards the various boards while Touma descended into the proper seating area, taking a chair for himself and waiting for a certain someone to arrive.

Keisuke stopped and slumped down onto a bench with a sigh.

"…Chitose, you there?"

"Yeah… sounds like you got to find out what EDEN's floor tastes like." The blond joked.

"Don't remind me… did it work?" Keisuke asked.

"Like a charm; we have him right where we need him to be. Infection is active and transmitting data." Chitose replied. "We can spy on his conversations and track his location at our leisure!"

"…Though I still have to wonder," Keisuke crossed his arms. "…Why him? He doesn't look like a hacker… no clear ties to anyone that we can see… sure we might find something in the full background check, but don't you think Yuugo would tell us if it was something like that up front?"

"You do have a point… kid is average in every way… other than the hair." Chitose replied. "For Yuugo to take a personal interest enough to request a job like this…"

"…You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Hell yeah; our work is done, so anything we do now is only extra. What do you say we spy on him a little bit in person?" Chitose stated.

"You say that, but I don't see you racing to login and join me…" Keisuke grumbled.

"Hey; someone has to run support! Just stay out of sight and I'll keep an eye on incoming and outgoing data and see if anything pops up." Chitose stated.

"I got just the thing… it's a trick I learned recently." Keisuke opened up his console and began tapping away, and just as it closed, his avatar seemed to vanish from sight, only just barely remaining visible as his entire body became transparent.

"Nice… I can't even see you on the active user list… heads up; we got company." Chitose commented.

True to his word, another person was entering the area. A few people actually, but without another name or a face to attach to them, it was difficult to figure out if any of them had any relation to the unlucky fellow they were stalking.

They got the answer to their questions when a blond teenager in a green Hawaiian shirt approached the spiky-haired teenager.

"Hey, Kami-yan. Waiting long?" He asked.

"…Oh hey, you actually showed up today, Tsuchimikado." Touma pushed himself up to his feet.

"Sorry about yesterday; thing's got complicated when Maika came home…" The blond replied.

As the two spoke, Kamijou Touma's stalker waited a fair distance away, carefully watching the two with his camouflaged avatar as a cover.

"So that's who he was meeting…" Keisuke commented. "Anything special on your end?"

"…This just got a lot more complicated…" Chitose sounded uneasy. "Know how I said I knew a guy who had the information? THAT'S the guy."

"Y-you're kidding! The one Kamijou-san is talking to!?"

"Yup; Tsuchimikado Motoharu… he's my contact for the Academy City area in my information network." Chitose stated. "This is some top-tier weirdness… Kamijou knows my contact but was also going to be meeting him, yet he gave me the information anyway, knowing that I'd be looking into the kid…?"

"…Think we're being set up?" Keisuke asked.

"Hard to tell… keep an eye on them; I'm recording everything they're taking about, so just make sure they stay in sight." Chitose replied.

The black-haired teen nodded, turning his attention back to the two in front of him.

"Ah… so you ran into some monster and met Yuugo huh? That's one hell of a story… and Yuugo gave you Digimon Capture and you got a Digimon too… that makes things a lot easier on my end; good work, nya." Tsuchimikado grinned.

"…You planned this." Touma deadpanned.

"You getting a Digimon? Yeah. You being attacked by some tentacle monster and meeting Yuugo of all people? No way; I just wanted to set you up with a Digimon is all." Tsuchimikado shrugged. "I don't know what that thing was… maybe it was some weird girl modifying her avatar? With your Kami-yan disease it would make sense, nya."

"And there you go with that again! You're going to really make me punch you, Tsuchimikado!" Touma clenched a fist, shaking it in the air at the sunglasses-wearing blond in front of him.

"Seriously though… I did intend to meet with you after. Sorry; the whole situation is rather… tense to say the least." Tsuchimikado scratched the back of his head. "You don't have any plans tonight, right? This is going to take a bit to work through… we should get going."

"Hold on, where to? You still really haven't told me anything." Touma crossed his arms with a sigh, evident of frustration.

"…Necessarius is waiting, Kami-yan." The blond replied simply.

"...Really? Here in EDEN?" Touma asked.

"Yeah; that's how chaotic this is getting. It'll be easier to meet with Stiyl and have him go over it with you, nya." Tsuchimikado replied.

"…Well… alright then. You have my attention… just lead the way I guess. We heading to that Kowloon place?" Touma uncrossed his arms.

"Right on the money. Stick with me; I'll be around this time in case something happens along the way, nya." The blond replied. With little else to discuss, the two left for the logout point and left the server entirely.

Unaware that they were being watched.

"…So they're going somewhere in Kowloon…" Keisuke crossed his arms. "…What the heck is Necessarius? Do you know, Chitose?"

"Not a clue… if it's a hacker group, I've never heard of them… this Kamijou kid is giving us way more questions than answers…" The wavy-blond replied. "…What do you say? We did do the job; everything else from here on out is extra."

"…Something isn't adding up here." Keisuke replied. "I'm going to keep following them. When you get a chance, pass along that something isn't right with this case to the others… particularly with the person it revolves around."

"Right; I'll drop them a line while you're in transit. Yuugo wanting us to look into him is beginning to make sense, but this is starting to go from weird to straight freaky. Be careful." Chitose advised. Satisfied, Keisuke made his way over to the logout area to continue on the trail.

The mystery of one Kamijou Touma was an intriguing one indeed.

 **-Kowloon Level 1, 7 Minutes later-**

"Hey, you found them?" Chitose's voice suddenly came on Keisuke's Digiline, slightly startling the black-haired teen.

"Yeah… looks like they're making their way over to the elevator to level 2… though that lazy hacker is back camping out in front of it. Did you manage to get ahold of Mishi- …Ryuji-san?" Keisuke asked.

"Yeah… I'll be straight with you; he wants us to bail." Chitose replied. "He said the final decision was ours since it's technically related to the job, but made it clear he wants us out of there. It wasn't just us who though this entire situation seemed sketchy since the start."

"Well… we've come this far… a bit late to back out now, right?" Keisuke replied. "How is their side of things?"

"Hard to tell; security over there is the kind where it's hard to know if you just got started or if you're almost done." Chitose replied. "Anything new?"

"…Well, the blond guy… Tsuchimikado? I don't know what he did, but the hacker that was camping out in front of the elevator just ran way for his life…" Keisuke replied.

"…I have a feeling I know what he said… and you don't want to know; it's not the first time I've tangled with that guy." Chitose replied. "They taking it up?"

"Yeah; just got on. I'm making my way over now."

"Right; stay safe and out of sight."

Keisuke nodded and got on the elevator, taking it up to floor two. Very little changed in-between floors in terms of design; the only thing that was different was the floorplan.

As soon as he arrived, the black-haired teenager pressed onward. Ahead were two paths; a short one to the right that lead to a dead-end, and a long one to the left what went around the whole area.

A quick look around showed that the two he was following had elected to the longer path. He was quick to catch up to them but stayed a fair bit behind just in case; though he was mostly see-through, someone looking hard enough could still find him.

The two took a right, and Keisuke darted around the corner. About halfway up the path, they appeared to have been stopped by someone.

He was very tall with straight red hair, and wore a long black cloak that covered most of his body. The main physical characteristic noticeable, other than his absolutely massive height, was a barcode underneath his left eye.

"Stiyl Magnus… so you made it after all." Tsuchimikado spoke. Keisuke was just close enough to hear the conversation.

"What? You thought I was going to bail?" The man frowned at the prospective accusation.

"Kind of; figured you would have delegated it down to those three witches of yours upon hearing Kami-yan's name being attached to the operation, nya." Tsuchimikado smirked.

"Please; work is work, even if it is with someone I despise." Stiyl replied. "Go back and make the report like we planned."

"Report? You're not staying with us Tsuchimikado?" Touma asked.

"Someone's got to update the ones in charge of this operation… plus I have some little things to take care of myself; I couldn't stay longer even if I wanted to." The blond replied. "Don't worry, Stiyl is familiar enough with EDEN; he'll take care of you."

"Well… alright then. Try and take it easy; I'll call if I need you." Touma replied.

"No worries; it'll work out. See ya, nya~" with that, Tsuchimikado left, turning right back around and walking back the way he came.

However, it wasn't that simple.

Tsuchimikado turned the corner, walking right past the transparent Keisuke. However, just as he would pass, he reached out one hand, placing it right on the black-haired teenager's shoulder and squeezed tight. Keisuke began to panic, but the blond let go just a moment later and spoke.

"Try not to work too hard, Hudie-san."

With that, Tsuchimikado left without another word, heading straight for Kowloon level 2's logout area.

Keisuke was breathing rather hard. The contact didn't break his camouflage, but the experience was more than a little chilling to say the least.

He had been caught in the act… yet he was let go… why?

"…I think it's safe to say he knew you were there since the start." A third voice suddenly came loud and clear on the line.

However, this one belonged to a girl.

"E-Erika-san!?" Keisuke called out. "W-what are you doing here!? I thought you were busy with Ryuji-san!"

"Just finished. Found some data, but its encrypted. Since its alongside other esper personal data, it's reasonable to suggest that it's what we're looking for… but it will take some time to crack it." Erika spoke. "…I heard things got confusing to say the least."

"No lie… hey; eyes up! They're moving!" Chitose stated. Keisuke's head snapped up as he looked around, and true to his supports word, Kamijou Touma and Stiyl Magnus had begun to walk down the path. "Though... I don't know what they're looking for; this is Dinosaurist territory…"

"…I'll keep on them. I have a feeling this Stiyl person might be from the Necessarius they talked about earlier…" Keisuke was quick to sneak up behind the two as they began to walk and talk.

"…So since you aren't going to start the conversation," Touma began, crossing his arms. "Let's start with what exactly is going on then? Or are you going to give me the silent treatment the whole time?"

"...Miserable boy." Stiyl sighed.

"Remember; I'm older than you."

"T-that's beside the point!" Stiyl turned and shouted, obviously flustered by the comment.

"…That guy is a giant, yet Kamijou-san is the older of the two…?" Keisuke questioned as he snuck around them.

"Alright; fine." Stiyl cleared his throat. "Hopefully, I don't need to explain the separation laws of science and magic to you."

"No I got it. The magic side and the science side can't interfere with each other, and either side forbids certain techniques from use by the other… I'm guessing there is a violation rolling around here since you brought that up." Touma spoke.

"…Magic?" Keisuke whispered gently.

"More or less. It's a full cabal causing a ruckus in EDEN. It's been decided since this system was first established in the world that use of magic inside of it would be a violation, yet a cabal has been blatantly ignoring that decree. Chaos has ensued as neither side wants or can claim responsibility for their actions… so we've been called in to deal with it; a magic organization stopping another magic organization is a convenient way to calm down all sides involved."

"…Can you even use magic in EDEN?" Touma asked. "Doesn't it require refining mana with your life-force to cast? I figured something like this would separate things enough to prevent it…"

In response, Stiyl suddenly stopped.

"…Ash to ash…" He held up one hand as a small flame appeared in his palm. "…Dust to dust…" He lifted up his other, with a similar result.

"H-hey now, I get it! There's no need to-"

"… **Squeamish Bloody Rood!"** Stiyl suddenly turned and swung both of his arms down, unleashing a wave of fire in an X-shaped formation, launching the attack at the unlucky Kamijou.

Touma however, simply raised up his right hand and upon contact, a loud shattering sound erupted as the flames broke apart like broken glass, fading away completely shortly after.

"…Ho, so your Imagine Breaker works here was well then?"

"Y-you used that without knowing if I could block it!? Get over here; I'm going to kick your ass!" Touma shouted, stomping towards the redheaded mage.

"Stop with the comedy routine; we have a job to do, and I don't like having to work with you any more you do." Stiyl sighed.

"You're the one who decided it'd be a good idea to throw fire at me! Everything from here on out is your fault!" Touma shouted again.

"…Machina Revolution," Stiyl started, snapping the spiky-haired teenager out of his anger. "They might be known around as a hacker group, but in reality they are a magic cabal. I have tracked some of their ilk to the location ahead… something about a rare instance of working on a "live specimen," whatever that means."

"…So they are up ahead?" Touma asked.

"At the end of the path. They apparently took this territory from another group, and I'd very much enjoy a chance to ruin their plans." Stiyl stated.

"Then let's move already then. The sooner this is done, the better." Touma replied.

"Something we can agree on; wonderful." Stiyl smirked lightly and resumed walking ahead with the unlucky Kamijou close behind.

While not far behind them, Keisuke quietly followed them, though the look of confusion on his face was quite telling as to how he was feeling.

Confusion.

"Did… did that guy just throw fire!?" Chitose shouted on the Digiline. "Like, legit fire in cyber space!? Can I get a replay of that please!?"

"It's probably some kind of program he has running; making something like this is very possible you know… don't start buying into all this talk of magic and cabals just because someone made a little fire; it could also be a Digimon he has too." Erika quickly spoke up, seemingly eager to shoot down the idea of mysticism.

"…The part that concerns me isn't the fire throwing… it's how Kamijou-san no-selled it. He stopped it like it was nothing, and acted like he's done it a million times… even if that fire was just a program or even a Digimon's attack, Kamijou Touma is a new EDEN user, right? What are the chances of him having a counter program to stop something like that in either case if he really is new?"

"That… is…a legitimate question…" Erika suddenly sounded unsure of herself.

"Either way; the name that guy dropped is legit." Chitose spoke up. "Machina Revolution is an up and coming hacker team; really shady. They take over areas with crash and burn tactics… looks like the Dinosaurists were their most recent victims…"

"…I'm going to stick with this; call me crazy, but I feel like this kind of freaky stuff is exactly what Yuugo wanted us to look into." Keisuke's face turned serious as he sped up his pursuit.

"You think… Yuugo saw that hand-thing up close?" Chitose asked.

"…The man called it Imagine Breaker…" Erika spoke softly. "…Who exactly is he?"

"Name is Stiyl Magnus apparently; not much else known… running theory is that he is part of some organization called "Necessarius," we mentioned it earlier if you remember. What that means is as much of a mystery to me as it is to you." The blond replied.

"…I'll look into it then. It's not any team or group I've heard of before… the name alone implies it's definitely not Japanese…" Erika stated, seemingly thinking aloud.

"Hold on… looks like they found who they were looking for." Keisuke spoke up.

True to his word, Stiyl and Touma had stopped moving. They had entered the very last area of Kowloon level two; a circular area with a rather wide path leading to it.

Before them stood two men and one woman. Their appearances varied wildly, but they each had one thing in common: each one wore some kind of a black cloak, and each one wore four large gold rings, two around their wrists and two around their ankles. Other than that, their looks varied rather wildly.

The last thing to note: there was an unconscious Digimon laying in-between them. It appeared to be a giant black wolf with white stripes and a long, curly tail, and it appeared to be resting on a particularly complicated magic circle. Touma had no idea what the creature was, other than it must be some kind of Digimon, but the Digimon Capture tool he had appeared to give him the answer on his HUD.

BlackGarurumon.

"Well… what do we have here? Having some fun I see." Stiyl stated as the current residents took notice.

"…So we have been found out already, huh?" One of the men spoke up. "Shame… we were just getting settled in before the rest of us arrived… I suppose that means we need to find yet another new hideout then?"

"Run for as long as you want. It will just make it more satisfying when I put you into the ground." Stiyl boasted. Touma eyed the magi before his eyes drifted toward the motionless BlackGarurumon.

"…Hey, what are you doing with that Digimon?" Touma demanded.

"Gentlemen, I suggest we begin the experiment while we can." The woman suggested. The two men nodded and turned their attention to the BlackGarurumon in-between them, and began a chant.

Stiyl was not interested in waiting around, and displayed such when he unleashed a wave of fire upon the three. However, it crashed right into a barrier separating them; only visible when it was being struck.

"Damn it all… Imagine Breaker!" Stiyl called out.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Touma ran straight for the barrier with a prepared fist, smashing his right hand into the barrier.

It shattered upon contact, Imagine Breaker shattering it quite effectively.

"T-the barrier! To take it down that easily… I-is that the Imagine Breaker!?" One of the men called out.

"It's too late; the ritual is complete!" The woman shouted. The magic circle began to glow as a surge of energy could be seen flowing from it into the Digimon laying on top of it. The seal slowly began to vanish, giving the illusion that the Digimon was absorbing it.

When it was fully absorbed, the BlackGarurumon began to transform.

It took to its hind legs and stood up, its front-paws lengthening out to proper hands as the beast began to resemble a werewolf. Clothes appeared, consisting of ripped green camouflage jeans and kneepads, a brace across its chest that attached to a single sleeve on its left arm. Around its neck, a set of non-descript dog tags rested and it wore spiked brass knuckles on its hands.

It was now BlackWereGarurumon. He stood up fully and howled loud, seemingly full of energy.

"A forced Digivolution…!?" Stiyl grit his teeth.

"A forced what!? What the hell just happened!?" Touma shouted.

"Quickly; we must retreat. With this being a success, we must report back." The woman stated. Both men nodded quickly. All three ran to the back of the area, which would normally lead to only a pit.

However, a rift in space appeared as the three ran for it, vanishing inside.

"Wait!" Stiyl ran forward, launching a blast of flames at the BlackWereGarurumon to distract him, running for the rift.

"Hold on, Stiyl!" Touma attempted to follow, but the BlackWereGarurumon, angered by the sudden attack, lashed out at him violently, trying to kick him. "H-help me with this guy, I can't take him by myself!"

"Not a chance; this thing is unusable and won't last long. Right now, either I head in alone to track them or not at all." Stiyl replied. He stepped part way through the rift before looking back.

He smirked.

"Besides; you're a creative young man. Surely you can figure something out." He then vanished completely into the portal without a trace.

Touma's eyes twitched lightly. Regardless of the circumstances, he knew exactly what had happened.

With Stiyl's abilities, he could have easily done something to keep the beast-man digimon in check; he simply chose not to.

Kamijou Touma was ditched and left to die.

"That bastaaarrrrddddd!" Touma shouted as loud as he could as the BlackWereGarurumon charged at him. Touma was quick to dodge, but the beast-man digimon proved to be faster than he could properly react to, as a follow up kick into Touma's stomach sent the spiky-haired teen flying back.

He wasn't done however as he leapt into the air, intending to stomp down on the unlucky Kamijou. He rolled to the side however just in time, almost slipping off the edge in the process but managed to get back on his feet.

The BlackWereGarurumon ran full speed at him. Suddenly, an iron-ball hit him in the snout and forced him to stop due to the sudden shock.

Dorumon had suddenly appeared from Touma's Digivice and had opted to attack the large monster with its special move, **Metal Cannon**.

However, other than being an annoyance due to hitting sensitive areas, it did little else to slow down the beast-man digimon, who was quick to dispatch the tiny Dorumon with a quick punch, sending him flying.

As the battle roared on, Keisuke watched from afar.

"…This is bad." Keisuke stated.

"No lie; he's trying to fight an Ultimate-Level Digimon with a Rookie. This is going to get ugly really fast." Chitose spoke over the digiline.

"Our job by all means is complete though…" Erika spoke plainly.

"…Yeah, but a lot of what we've done would be rather useless if his account were to be deleted. He put us through a lot of trouble…" Chitose commented.

"…That is true." Erika admitted. "…Though at this point it should be Keisuke's decision."

"The little lady is right; you're the man in the field. It's your call what happens next." Chitose agreed. Keisuke closed his eyes, weighing his options carefully.

When he opened them again, he had made his decision.

Touma rolled back after a fierce kick sent him flying. BlackWereGarurumon quickly ran after him, chambering a fist, intending to bring it down on top of the unlucky Kamijou.

"Kabuterimon; **Electro-Shocker!"**

A blast of electricity fired and slammed right into the beast-man digimon's chest, sending him back. Touma blinked in confusion, but had little time to question it as he was suddenly pulled up to his feet.

"Hey, are you alright!?" Keisuke asked.

"Y-you're that guy-"

"A bad time to talk, don't you think!? Kabuterimon; hit him again!" Keisuke ordered. A blue beetle-like Digimon with four arms and four wings flew overhead, launching another electric based attack. However, the BlackWereGarurumon was able to maneuver around it this time, moving to attack again.

At least until a humanoid mass of stones suddenly appeared in his path.

"Golemon; **Curse Crimson!"** Keisuke ordered. Smoke and fire erupted from the stone-based Digimon's back as it opened its mouth, unleashing a torrent of flames right into BlackWereGarurumon's face.

"S-so these guys are yours, aren't they?" Touma asked.

"Yeah; I got one more waiting in the wings… seriously, are you ok?" Keisuke asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine… this is just another Tuesday for me." Touma replied. "Though getting thrashed by a digital werewolf is new…!"

"I have serious questions about your life if THIS is normal!" Keisuke shouted.

"Hah… truth hurts more than fiction… such misfortune…" Touma replied. "…Listen; something weird happened to that big guy over there… it's going to sound crazy, but my right hand can fix it. I just need an opening to hit him. Think you can do that?"

"…No problem." Keisuke had seen enough of recent events to know questioning things at this point was pointless. "Just go; I'll take care of the rest!" Touma nodded and ran forward, racing back toward the BlackWereGarurumon.

The beast-man digimon in question jumped back out of the fire with a loud howl. It attempted to run forward again, but something coiled around his leg.

And before he knew it; that something was wrapped up all around his body. A large blue sea-serpent creature was completely coiled around his body.

"Seadramon! **Ice Blast;** right in his face!" At Keisuke's word, the sea-serpent digimon reeled its head back before throwing it forward again, unleashing a torrent of freezing breath right into the beast-man digimon's eyes.

BlackWereGarurumon howled loudly; clearly in pain due to the attack. Touma ran straight for him without a hint of slowing down.

In the last minute however, the beast-man digimon was able to throw off Seadramon. One of its eyes opened, focusing right on the unlucky Kamijou as he prepared to throw a punch at him.

Until a single large iron ball shot out of nowhere and slammed right into that open eye, causing the BlackWereGarurumon to cry out in pain.

Dorumon, while injured, was far from finished, and proved such with his final attack right into the beast-man digimon's face.

"Alright; it's time to snap out of it you stupid dog! This is a special wake-up call from me to you!" Touma managed to get in close enough and threw his right fist, slamming it right into the BlackWereGarurumon's side.

The effect was immediate as Imagine Breaker activated: without warning, the beast-man digimon was forcefully reverted into BlackGarurumon instantly, rolling on its side due to the force of the sudden negation.

The BlackGarurumon looked up at the foes surrounding him and promptly ran off, jumping off the edge of the area onto the floating cubes around the area to make its escape. The fight was over.

"…Guess who found it just now it's possible to get exhausted in EDEN? This misfortunate Kamijou, that's who!" Touma fell onto his butt with a heavy sigh.

"Well… that takes care of that… who knows what could have happened if that thing was allowed on a rampage." Keisuke commented. He walked toward the unlucky Kamijou and as he did so, his digimon vanished, seemingly into his Digivice.

"No kidding… thanks for your help. I'd be paste all over the floor if you hadn't of happened by…" Touma stated.

"Oh, that's good; he thinks it's a coincidence. Play along, Keisuke." Chitose spoke on the line. Lucky for the hackers, it was a private call Touma couldn't hear.

"…Sometimes life is like that; help can just pop-up out of nowhere… I have an experience or two with that." Keisuke replied, lightly thinking of his first encounter with Ryuji at the Digimon Market.

"Suppose so… it's been one hell of day, let me tell you." Touma sighed. His Dorumon wandered over and nuzzled into his side.

Dorumon looked beat up; scruffs were visible all over his fur and he noticeably winced when Touma moved to pet him.

"I can take care of that; just a second." Keisuke opened up his console and went tapping away. After a moment, a green aura enveloped the little beast and when it faded, Dorumon was as good as new. He let out a little call before nuzzling Touma's side again, this time with much more vigor in his step.

"…Guess that means you're a hacker, huh? Thanks." Touma stood up, picking up Dorumon to hold him in his arms. "Didn't think a random hacker would willingly help me out though…"

"Not all hackers are bad you know…" Keisuke slipped his hands into his pocket and smiled. "Some of us just use questionable ways to help people; that's all. You should be careful in Kowloon though… at least this little scrap is over…"

"…Over, huh?" Touma looked back toward where the rift had been. Keisuke played dumb; he knew he was referring to the rift that had opened up that his partner ran through.

Touma's response however caught the Hudie-Hacker off guard.

"…Meh, if he was confident enough to pull that stunt, whatever he gets he deserves."

"Eh?" Keisuke blinked.

"Someone I came with ditched me, leaving me to die against that digimon." Touma replied. "If he gets messed up then it's his fault for going alone. Besides… I have no idea where he went, and we didn't exchange numbers, so I don't have a way of contacting him or finding him if I even wanted to chase him down… it's his problem now."

Keisuke continued to blink, careful not to say anything that might top Touma off that he had been following him.

"…This kid has a vindictive side when he's been wronged." Chitose commented.

"I'm siding with him; that red-head was a real piece of work." Erika joined in.

"Anyway… I'm heading home. It's about dinner time and Index will bite me if I don't cook something… considering yesterday was…" Touma shivered, not wanting to relive past trauma.

"Take it easy… em…" Keisuke continued to play the fool; something he was getting really good at.

"Oh, my name is Kamijou Touma." The spiky-haired teen stated.

"Ah, I see! I'm Amazawa Keisuke, weird way to make friends, huh?" The Hudie-Hacker replied.

"No lie… I sent you my contact info; reply if you want to share information. I don't mind returning the favor; I really owe you." Touma replied.

"…I'll keep that in mind. Take care!" Keisuke bid the spiky-haired teen goodbye one last time before he left, heading for the logout terminal.

"…So? Final verdict?" Chitose replied.

"…I can tell he gets involved with a lot of weird stuff, but he seems like a really nice guy… just don't piss him off, I guess?" Keisuke replied.

"Yeah; definitely." Chitose agreed. "Well; I think I understand why Yuugo wants tabs kept on him, for what little its worth. We recorded all of that, and we'll probably get more info in the coming days… seems like this job as complete as it can get, right?"

"…Hrm… magic, huh…?" Erika seemed lost in thought.

"Everything alright over there little lady?" Chitose asked.

"I'm fine; just thinking. I'm going to check on the decryption now." Erika stated. "…And Keisuke; good work." She then disconnected from the call. He didn't know for sure, but Keisuke for some reason imagined her smiling when she said that.

"Well; that's a wrap. Come on back so we can give this information to Ryuji, ok?" Chitose was the next one to disconnect. With little reason to remain, Keisuke logged out without incident after a short walk back to the logout terminal.

What they didn't know was that this was just the tip of the iceberg.

* * *

 **And we have reached the bottom once again.**

 **So now we're diving a little bit more into the meat of things. A cabal causing a ruckus in cyber space! It might be a bit of time before the plot really gets moving, but there will be bits and pieces sprinkled around here and there.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	3. One Way Road

**And here we are once again! Time for some more fun in the Digital World!**

 **Before we Begin... our usual review responses have arrived!**

 _wolfking:_ Glad you're enjoying this so far! And believe me; I know what I'm doing. Trust the madness!

 _whwsms:_ I'm happy that you decided to stick this one out! Hopefully I can keep you interested!

 _Animan10:_ Yeah... having those two as foils is definitely a nice fun way to start things off. Touma starting off as the underdog is kind of the norm; he has to figure out ways around his opponents outside of just beating them down... this time, he just needed a little backup. You'd be surprised; I tried to pick some not-used picks for later on, but you'll see some recognizable folks for a while.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ The mixing of the casts as started! EDEN to a lot people is just that; a paradise of escapism for anyone willing to hop on. As for any other factions or people having adopted the digital platform... you'll see. I hope you end-up enjoying the digimon side of things! Thanks; making things work together is definitely the challenge, so I hope I can keep this interesting!

 _ScytheMasterX:_ Magic is Magical after all~ Yeah; my idea for the Digimon MC's is that their team is the 3-basic digimon they would start with in-game. Give's a nice starting point, rather than trying to figure out balanced teams for both from scratch.

 _Guest (1):_ Yeah... Stiyl is a piece of work, huh? The featured cast definitely focus more on the Index side of things due to its focus on Touma, but you'll see some faces you recognize for sure. I had ideas for some folks, but I couldn't include them due to the cast getting a little bit busy. Hopefully there are still plenty of characters for you to like though!

 _WilliamZ0:_ Yup; Hudie are first, as natural hackers in direct relation to Zaxon. If I caught you off guard with Magic shenanigans, then I think I'm doing my job! There are a lot of mysteries flying around here, and that is kind of the point; not everything is presented. As for who might be interested in the happenings in EDEN... you'll see, my friend. Tsuchimikado is basically a spy among spies; he works for everyone and everything, and never drops a hint to anyone else unless he wants them to know... and his plans are known to only him. As for why Academy City wouldn't establish this kind of thing... well; they certainly can and could have... but why they didn't is one of those mysteries I discussed. Imagine Breaker and how it interacts with things was more or less covered; Digimon are natural creatures, despite their appearance in the world being supernatural, so IB won't destroy them. Yeah, as explained above, I'm giving the Cyber Sleuth MC's their canon teammates so far. As for Touma... I'm planning on keeping him to one, but that one is there for a good reason... and you'll see why eventually. As for everything else... you'll see where the story leads; thanks for reading!

 _Guest (2):_ I was actually not aware of this... Huh. I knew about the alternate one containing/ruled by the Olympus 12, but not a specific one geared towards Magic.

 _Mr. X:_ I loved NT21; I can't wait for NT22! So many unanswered questions... I want more! MORE I SAY!

 _Guest (3):_ That is a good question...

 _wiliamsusanto:_ My friend, that is an unusual fan-theory... but who knows? Maybe that's how it is, maybe not... I'll let you hold onto this one.

 _Guest (4):_ Mauling is usual; regardless of whether its real or digital women. Such Misfortune...

 _Guest (5):_ You'll see where this all goes... you'll see, my friend!

 **With that done... let's get to it! Enjoy!**

* * *

"…So this is where the first one spawned, right?" Touma was addressing no one particular as he wandered around the last area of Kowloon's first level. He looked around for a moment or two before shaking his head. "How about you; smell anything?" Touma turned to his Dorumon who was a little ways behind, who simply tilted his head in response. "…Guess not huh… such misfortune."

An outsider looking upon this scene might ask: "Young Kamijou; what is it you are looking for?"

Said Kamijou would simply reply: "I'm looking for the origin of a certain tentacle monster that keeps stalking me."

Because the past few days on EDEN have not been kind. Everywhere he went, a black-and white camouflaged tentacle monster with a big mechanical eye has been appearing. They were most common in Kowloon, but recently even the main EDEN servers have been plagued by them. Hell; there was even one instance with him being signed in for school where one popped up, though since a security update in his school's servers, the mysterious creatures haven't come out for a second appearance in class.

Moreover, every single time, they made a mad dash for the unlucky Kamijou.

Luckily, Imagine Breaker still proved effective with dealing with them. Unluckily, no matter how many he silenced, more kept pouring in. Reports and inquiries to EDEN customer support had yielded no results, and forum searches only confirm the monsters existence; he was far from the only one who had seen one, but no one knew where they were coming from.

So, fed up with the little hentai-work spawns, Kamijou Touma has gone hunting for the creature's nest with his trusty hunting digimon, Dorumon.

…Unfortunately, as if they knew he was looking for them, not even one had appeared yet, and searches into where they had previously spawned had gotten him nowhere. Such misfortune.

Touma sighed, and Dorumon rubbed up against his leg, trying to soothe his partner. Touma reached down, picking up the purple digimon, holding him in his arms.

"…Well, this is a dead end… guess with little else to do I might as well go decide on dinner." Touma turned and left for the logout zone in the first area of Kowloon, as the one in the last area was still non-functional. As he walked, he noticed there being more wild digimon active, as well as more people in the Kowloon servers.

Popularity of digimon was skyrocketing recently; he even saw a gatcha-ball machine for badges based on digimon at his local market. Touma avoided luck-based games like the plague so he didn't know how accurate they were, but he saw a few people roll the dice and get a few.

So as their popularity rose, people coming into their habitats to try and find them made sense… though the increase of digimon population didn't. He pet Dorumon lightly at he walked, causing the little purple digimon to purr… wait; Dorumon could purr!? He didn't have time to question this sudden discovery as he walked through the run-down children's park, someone called out to him.

"…It figures that you'd find yourself in a place like this, you idiot."

Touma turned to see a middle school girl of about fourteen behind him. She had short brown hair with a flower hairclip, brown eyes, and wore the traditional uniform of the famous Tokiwadai Middle School: a light brown vest sweater over a white blouse and a grey skirt.

"…I feel like I could say the same thing to you, Biri-biri."

"For the last time, my name is Misaka Mikoto; get it right you idiot!" The brown-haired girl suddenly began to spark violently as electricity erupted form her brow, flying right toward the unlucky Kamijou, who promptly shifted Dorumon into his other arm as he held up his right to block the attack.

She was Misaka Mikoto, the third ranked Level 5 esper in Academy City.

"…Ah, so esper abilities do work in EDEN. That… unsettles me. Such misfortune." Touma sighed.

"Of course it would; powers are born from an esper's Personal Reality in their mind, so of course they'd manifest somewhere else where their consciousness was put." Mikoto crossed her arms.

"I feel like it's significantly more complicated than that, but I thank you for dumbing down the explanation for this unlucky Kamijou…" Touma nodded. "…Try to lay off the lightning for a bit; I'm carrying important cargo." He nudged his head toward the little Dorumon in his arms, who was curiously shifting his gaze back and forth from the two.

"…Eh? You have a digimon?" The brown-haired girl asked, tilting her head. Curiously, Dorumon tilted his head in the same direction.

"It's a long story… let's just say we met and he wanted to stick with me." Touma shrugged. Mikoto walked closer and lowly reached out her hand to touch the little digimon. Dorumon flinched initially at the contact, but gradually eased off, enjoying the attention.

"…This little guy is really cute."

"I know; he's basically a puppy. He's really affectionate if he likes you." Touma added. Dorumon began to nuzzle into Mikoto's hand gently, causing the Railgun to smile.

"Heh… you're right." She spoke. "Didn't think you'd go with a cute one though."

"It's more like he chose me…" Touma replied. "…And what's that supposed to mean? I don't hate cute things. If you really think that all guys are all death metal and brutality the moment they hit puberty then I'll need to fix those loose screws in your head."

"You just don't seem like the, "I like cute things," type to me."

"Neither do you, but we crossed that bridge already with the phone straps."

"You want to die?" Mikoto threatened, narrowing her eyes at the unlucky Kamijou. She took a few steps back. "Still though… I hear Dorumon is a rare type to get. I'd question your ability to raise a digimon, but he seems rather content with you."

"Where do you get off judging me like that?" Touma sighed. "You probably just have digimon you think are cute. With how you are and that frog-thing, I can just see you touting along a bunch of small pink puff-balls rolling around."

"…Think so? Do you really think I'm THAT simplistic and easy to please, huh?" Mikoto's eye twitched and she began to grin. Something began to materialize behind her; apparently, it was her digimon.

It appeared as an adult woman, except covered in black armor, fashioned in such a way that she appeared to me made out of chess pieces. She had a pink breastplate as well as a pink cape, and a pink helmet with a gold visor. In her hand, she held a long black and gold staff that ended in what looked like a mallet.

"Dense idiot, meet my digimon; QueenChessmon!" Mikoto proudly announced. "Raised her all by myself, from a baby to mega."

"…Y-you don't say?" Touma replied. "D-Dorumon, get back in my Digivice… I have a bad feeling…"

"Oh no; keep him out… since you're talking big, you must know that hackers like to battle each other with their digimon, right?" Mikoto began to walk towards the unlucky Kamijou with her own digimon following behind.

Dorumon blinked a few times before vanishing into his partner's Digivice, and Touma began to back up slowly.

"H-hey now, l-let's talk about this! N-neither of us are proper hackers, right?" Touma replied nervously, slowly inching towards the first area of Kowloon. It had a logout point where he would be able to escape the electromaster's wrath.

"True; I just got into this digimon stuff because I felt like it. Kuroko and Uiharu sometimes have judgement cases here in EDEN, so I naturally would tag along on occasion…" Mikoto didn't stop her approach for a second, slowly but surely stomping her way towards the spiky haired teenager.

"Y-you don't say? A-are they around? I-if you're wasting time on this misfortunate soul, y-you might lose track of them!"

"Nope; all by myself today." Mikoto replied. "You know; if you won't defend yourself, I'll just have to make you, right?"

"W-wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

He didn't get a chance to finish as QueenChessmon leapt over the Railgun with her mallet staff and slammed it down on top of the unlucky Kamijou. He jumped to the side to evade, but that was his mistake.

He realized this when there was no solid ground under him. In his attempt to make distance between him and the brown haired girl, he had managed to get onto the path leading out of the abandoned park.

A path that, in his attempt to preserve his own life, he had accidentally jumped off of.

"GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" was the last thing Misaka Mikoto heard as he descended into the abyss below.

"E-eh!? T-that idiot!" Mikoto ran over to see if he had landed on any of the blue cubes of garbage data all over Kowloon, but he was nowhere in sight.

He fell, seemingly to his death. But…

"A-at least it's just cyber space… if he reaches the edge of the world it should just force a log out… right? B-besides! This idiot nearly drowned in the arctic… t-there's no way that a little fall would do any serious damage… right?" Mikoto spoke to herself. She didn't know for sure, but she told herself that anyway to help her feel better. "A-anyway, I'm sure he'll be fine! I can just message him later-"

That's when it hit her; she forgot to do something rather important; the real reason she had called out to the unlucky Kamijou to begin with.

"…AGH! I forgot to get his digiline number!"

Down, down, down he fell.

The cubes seemed to shift color as he did so. The blue hues darkened considerably as many smaller lights became visible to light up the darkness

Then suddenly.

A thud.

And a scream.

"AGHAH!" Touma's entire body hurt when he finally touched solid ground again. "A-am I… alive…!?" He looked around, surveying his surroundings. Other than the different floorplan and the darker colors, it appeared he was still in Kowloon.

His HUD however displayed that he was in "Under Kowloon Level 2." So… he was in the basement of Kowloon? There was a lower level in EDEN than the graveyard of data? There were so many questions he didn't have time to ask them all.

There was one thing he understood though.

"P-pain is a massive pain in the ass! All or nothing systems just because of the senses is bullshit!" Touma cried out as he laid on the ground.

However, suddenly the feeling of agony vanished from his body. He checked himself in confusion when a voice rang in his ear.

"Damn… that fall wrecked your avatar… you alright?" A male spoke, walking over to him.

He was about nineteen years old with blue eyes and long black hair that went down to his shoulders. He wore a blue jumpsuit and a gray hooded long-sleeve jacket with various blue lines across it that was only zipped up around his neck.

"I'm fine… I think I'm guessing you're the one who patched me up… right?" Touma asked. He reasoned out that in order to fix him up so quickly that the person before him must be some kind of hacker.

"Yeah… seriously; that looked nasty. Did you fall from the first level?" The unknown hacker asked.

"First level of Kowloon… yeah…" Touma answered. The jumpsuit male frowned at that statement and crossed his arms.

"…First level of normal Kowloon? Or first level of Under Kowloon?" He asked.

"…Normal I guess? I've never heard of Under Kowloon until now…" Touma replied. The hacker's face gave the impression that he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"Holy hell… I'm not sure you're lucky your account survived the fall, or if you're unlucky because you feel in the first place."

"Option two… always option two." Touma sighed. "Who are you?"

"Sanada Arata; no one special. You?" The hacker replied.

"Kamijou Touma… same boat…" Touma rubbed his neck. "This wild goose chase really turned bad… such misfortune."

"Ah, you hunting for something too?" Arata asked. "Figured you'd be steering clear of intense stuff after that scrap with the BlackWereGarurumon."

"Yeah… but… h-hey, you saw that?" Touma nervously asked.

"Just caught the tail end; saw the new Hudie hacker helping you out. Nice work by the way; never seen anyone force a digimon to de-digivolve before."

"Yeah… I don't know what digivolution is… just heard Stiyl mention it the other day…" Touma scratched his head. "Only reason that worked was due to the circumstances, I don't think I could force a revert on just any digimon…"

"Honestly, I'd be more worried if you could… you'd be a real menace in the hacker community; just about everyone would want your head on a platter." Arata stated.

"…Don't remind me…" Touma grumbled. "So you know Amazawa-san?"

"Not personally, least not yet. I just know the two running Hudie; it's the hacker group he belonged to… ah, before we go on, I should probably fix that for you." Arata opened up his console and went tapping away, closing it shortly after. "There we go; all done."

"Huh? What did you do?"

"Someone hit you with malware… looks like it's just to spy on you. No worries; it didn't do anything other than that." Arata replied. "Should be all good now."

"…Feh, it was probably Tsuchimikado." Touma spoke in an annoyed tone. "Thanks; I guess that's one less thing to worry about. Too bad my search didn't lead anywhere."

"What are you looking for? Trying to find a digimon for digimon capture? A virus type might help cover your Dorumon's weaknesses." Arata's hands moved into his pockets.

"Nah… I'm fine with just Dorumon… I don't really battle or hack seriously enough to think about stuff like that." Touma replied. "It's actually about some black and white tentacle freaks that are stalking me…"

"…? You're being hunted by Eaters?" Arata asked.

"You know them? Yeah they've been popping out all over the place and keep trying to attack me! I just got fed up with it and decided to try and find them… but today is the one day they leave me alone…" Touma muttered. "…Also; Eater? That's what they're called?"

"It's a working name… nothing is official yet. They just eat up data constantly, thus the name." Arata replied.

"S-so they are after me to eat me!? What do they see me as!? A giant piece of steak!?" Touma shouted.

"Seems like it." Arata smirked. "Guess you are right; you are unlucky."

"Why you… say that again! I dare you!"

"Why are you flipping out? You said it; not me."

"I know, but that doesn't make pointing it out feel any better!" Touma cried out in dismay. This seemed to cause the hacker in front of him to laugh lightly.

"Well, this is a coincidence if I ever saw one." Arata stated. "I'm trying to track them down too. I heard a rumor about one rolling around here in Under Kowloon, but it seems like it was either a hoax or it left the server already. I don't come down here normally otherwise."

"…Why are you after them?" Touma seemed to calm down from his shouting and continued the conversation.

"One attacked me and a friend, and I don't want that to happen again… fair enough of a reason, right?" Arata asked.

"Seems like one to me… but it seems like we both hit dead ends…" Touma sighed.

"Yeah… hey; give me your contact info." Arata asked. "If I find anything, I'll let you know… so long as you do the same for me. Fair?"

"Sounds good to me. Nice to meet you, Sanada-san." Touma opened up his console and sent his information, with Arata replying in kind.

Touma's mind began to drift after that. He realized that he had been making quite a few friends recently, despite what had happened. Yuugo, the one who saved him on his very first day, Keisuke, the one who helped him in his second, and now, Arata, who is after the same thing he is in relation to these "Eater" monsters.

His thoughts were interrupted however when someone came shouting.

"Help… s-someone! Anyone! M-my teammates… my teammates…!" A teenage male with blond hair ran into the area shouting, but slowed down shortly afterward, frantically looking around.

"…Looks like a group came in and tried to move in on Nakano Stripes territory… eh?" Arata turned to look at the teenager. "…Hold on, Yuuga? Is that you!?"

"A-Arata-san!?" The boy's head snapped right over to him before he ran over. "A-Arata san… it's bad… really bad…!"

"You know him?" Touma asked.

"Used to be in a hacker team with him a long time ago." Arata replied before shifting his attention back to his friend. "H-hey, calm down man. What happened?"

"M-my teammates… s-someone attacked us when we were going to face off with the Nakano Stripes… a-at first we thought it was Zaxon's Yuugo… but… those red eyes… h-he just started ripping us apart!"

"…Reminded you of Yuugo… but had red eyes…?" Arata seemed confused, but Touma leaned in and spoke.

"…Tell me who it looked like. As much as you can." He asked, his face appearing quite serious.

"W-white hair… red eyes… w-when he started… about the only thing you could see was that wide grin on his face…!" The boy, Yuuga, was breathing heavily as Arata grabbed him and forced him to sit down.

"Alright, it's alright man… you're out of danger now…" Arata spoke but shifted his attention to Touma for a moment. "…Hey! Where are you going!?"

Kamijou Touma had heard all he needed to hear to know he had to get involved. The description he was given was more than enough.

After all, he learned something recently.

Esper abilities can be used in EDEN.

Hey came out into a rather open area with a few different paths, but one notably went down to a lower platform. Hackers of all kinds were thrown about, along with several digimon.

In the back, stood one man with brown hair, presumably the leader of the group, and behind him sat a peculiar digimon; its lower body looked like a green tank while its upper body appeared to be a mixture of some kind of beast and military machinery, with two arms that each ended in a set of machineguns and a massive cannon on its armored head.

Touma's HUD referred to the digimon as Tankmon.

That wasn't all that was down below however; there was one more person. A teenage boy with white hair and an expensive looking white jacket. His back was turned towards the unlucky Kamijou, and he was quietly walking toward the lone hacker, who was looking more and more frightened with each step.

There was hardly any mystery as to who this teenage boy was, however.

"Accelerator!" Touma called out. The white-haired teenager stopped and turned around, showing off his red eyes and a frown, and his hands rather calmly placed in his coat pockets.

"…Figures that the fucking hero of all people would wander into the middle of this shit storm, huh?" Accelerator commented.

This boy was an esper, but not just any esper. The esper levels went through 0 to 5, level 0 being nearly powerless and level 5's being the strongest of the strong.

Moreover, Accelerator was none-other than the strongest level 5. The number one; the one-way road.

However, the act of calling out to him served as a convenient distraction. The Hacker team leader pointed toward him and nodded toward his Tankmon, who then aimed his cannon-head towards the white-haired esper and fired, a large cannon-shell flying toward the distracted teenager.

However, just as quickly as it fired, it was thrown back. Tankmon's chest suddenly exploded as the shell hit, knocking out the digimon in one shit. The Hacker team leader's eyes widened as he glanced at his downed companion, his face slowly contorting with fear.

"…Hey, that was awfully rude. You must be a real piece of shit to think a stunt like that would work." Accelerator slowly turned to face the man, this time grinning like mad. The face frightened the leader, who quickly attempted to back up only to slip and fall on his butt. Accelerator resumed his approach of the man, a slight cackle of laughter escaping the esper's lips.

"H-hey! Hold on; what the hell is going on here Accelerator!" Touma ran down the steps.

"This doesn't concern you, hero." Accelerator spat. Turned back around

"It might not concern him, but it does concern me." A third voice, revealed to be Arata descending the stairs with his friend, spoke up. They both apparently followed the unlucky Kamijou after he ran off. "I don't know the details, but you're messing with my friend's crew. I might not be able to do much, but I'm going to make you regret it."

As he spoke, his own Digimon materialized behind him. It looked like a large purple segmented chrysalis or cocoon. It had six thin tentacles with large blades on each end, spikes all over its body, a set of red eyes and a red horn. It managed to stand on the tentacles rather easily.

Touma's HUD informed him that this particular digimon was known as Chrysalimon.

"…What a pain. Darkdramon, keep them busy while I work." Accelerator called out. A new digimon appeared at his command, separating the two sides. He was a humanoid-dragon-creature, covered in dark blue and yellow armor, even its tail. One arm had a massive pile-bunker-like weapon with a lance at the end, and his head had a translucent visor as well as dark red hair. From his back, bright blue flames constantly roared, and it seemed to function as a form of propulsion, as the digimon hovered lightly in the air.

"Darkdramon…!? You have a mega level!?" Arata cursed.

"That's right! This guy right here is the toughest of the tough, so you better remember it!" An unknown voice called out. Another digimon appeared, this time sitting on Accelerator's shoulder. He looked like a small imp with pale skin and a black mask with red and green eye markings. Embedded on his palms were a set of eyes, the color of which matched the eye markings on the mask.

"…Dracmon, I don't remember calling you out." Accelerator stated flatly.

"But boss! These guys were going to bad-mouth you, I just know it! They gotta understand who they're dealing with- ow! Why!?" Dracmon cried out when Accelerator abruptly copped the little imp's head.

"You talk too much." Accelerator let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm more surprised he can talk… my Dorumon can't…" Touma commented. He tried to move forward but Darkdramon suddenly swung his weaponized arm at him, forcing him back. Satisfied, Accelerator turned his attention back to the hacker team leader in front of him, but stopped shortly after with a look of surprise.

The leader held his hands in the air.

"A-alright… I give, I give! I-I'll give it back, just don't destroy my account, alright!?"

"After all the bullshit you put me through?" Accelerator didn't look amused.

"I-I'm sorry! N-no more account raiding from me, I swear!" The leader pleaded.

"…Account raiding?" Arata crossed his arms.

"I… had no idea… our boss was Account Raiding? T-that's why all this happened!?" Yuuga shouted.

"You sure put me through a lot of fucking trouble you little shit…!" Accelerator walked toward the man, who promptly began to scramble around.

"I-I mean it! H-here, you're after that girl's account, right!? I-I still have it! It's yours!" The man frantically opened his console and sent something out. Accelerator's eyes narrowed, but he opened up his to check.

"…Pain in my ass; next time, do this from the start." The white-haired teen closed his console, but suddenly reached out and grabbed the man by his collar and held him over the edge of the platform.

"E-eh!? B-but I gave-"

"Let me make myself clear," Accelerator began. "We don't do this again. If you fuck with anyone else… I can make this scene a whole lot more real. Trade the cyberspace look for a skyscraper, and it feels a whole lot different… an entirely new level of fear." He then pulled the man close. "Do you fucking understand?"

"Y-y-y-yes s-s-sir!" The man replied. The white-haired teen then turned and threw the man into the ground, landing with the loud crash. After the impact, the leader scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could out of the area, tripping over himself a few times as he raced up. Not long after, both Dracmon and Darkdramon vanished into Accelerator's Digivice, signaling that the confrontation had passed.

"I guess that's that then… are the rest of these guys even alive…?" Arata asked. His Chrysalimon disappeared and he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Should be; all I did was rough them up a little bit; I knew which fucker I was after from the start." Accelerator walked back over to the group. The unlucky Kamijou and the white-haired esper stared at each other for a short time before Touma broke the silence.

"…Hey, by any chance… does that account you got back belong to Last Order?"

"Yeah… told her a thousand times to not play around in any of the Kowloon floors, and she goes and does it only to get her account stolen. Fucking hell." Accelerator replied. He glanced at the spiky haired teen again, and rolled his eyes with a grumble under his breath. "…Hey, tomorrow is Saturday, you have that off, right?"

"Y-yeah… why?" Touma was immediately off guard; the situation where Academy City's number one esper asks him a favor was a rare and possibly dangerous one indeed.

"…The brat has been asking to see you." Accelerator sighed. "If you're free, you should come over; Worst might be a pain but it'd really make the brat happy."

"…Alright. I don't mind dropping by; I didn't have any plans, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Touma replied. Accelerator simply nodded and walked past the three, quickly exiting the area.

"J-just who was that guy…?" Yuuga asked.

"…Academy City's number one esper." Touma sighed. "It's… a long story how we know each other…"

"…So you know that monster personally, huh?" Arata asked. "Man… all other doubts I had are blown from my mind…"

"…Doubts about what?" Touma asked. In response, Arata smirked.

"If you know that bastard, you are definitely unlucky."

The two promptly spent the next few minutes chasing each other around while the mild-mannered Yuuga tried his best to defuse the conflict.

 **-Unknown Location-**

"Erika, how goes the decryption?" Inside a special room in a special internet café, three people sat around in an official meeting.

The group was the Hacker team known as Hudie, and the man speaking was Mishima Ryuji, the leader. He had grey hair and grey eyes, wore green striped sleeveless shirt and gray short pants, and had his blue hoodie, a common item across all members of Hudie, tied around his waist.

"It's done; just formatting into a readable context." He one who spoke was Mishima Erika, Ryuji's sister. She had long blue hair, covered by her own blue hoodie that was draped across her shoulders, and distinct yellow eyes. She wore a yellow colored frilly sleeveless dress that extended down unto her top part of her thighs. A small plush whale rested on the girl's left shoulder.

"Sure it's alright to leave Keisuke out of this, Ryuji?" Chitose asked.

"He's got work. Besides… from what I can tell, he's become good friends with the guy. It'd be best to not cause any bad blood." Ryuji replied.

"Fair point… don't want to upset our new recruit." Chitose replied. "Looks like out audio gathering has come to an end; he had a run-in with Arata who was able to spot it. Was able to get juicy piece of information though; apparently he has connections to the top-tier espers in Academy City."

"Which ones?" Ryuji asked.

"Looks like for sure the number three, Misaka Mikoto. There were rumors of a massacre down in Under Kowloon earlier today, apparently caused by their number one, Accelerator. Some stories talk about other people being involved; matches the description of Arata and our unlucky friend... seems to imply that Kamijou-san has a connection to the esper." Chitose finished. "Gotta say; I'm impressed. Yuugo is one thing, but making contact with us and Arata is fairly out there; not your average EDEN user gets that kind of attention, but also the top heavy weights of the city on top of that makes it sound ludicrous."

"I don't think I need to mention that situation with those Necessarius people." Erika joined the conversation. "I did a search; only stuff I could find are on unreliable occult boards in Europe. Rumor has it they are a church officially called "The Church of Necessary Evil," would explain the name… but the information is sketchy at best… this organization doesn't exist officially or publicly from the looks of things, if it exists at all."

"…So he is quickly gaining ties to members of hacker groups, some high up… and apparently has existing connections to some of the most dangerous people where he lives… as well as some kind of link to the occult." Ryuji summarized, crossing his arms. "Looks like we've singled out a particularly special VIP kind of target…"

"By the way, I took a second swing at the basic background check; found some stuff we didn't get initially… mostly because it's some old stuff." Chitose spoke.

"How old?" Ryuji asked.

"Eight to ten years; it apparently happened before the kid was admitted to Academy City. I'll send it." Chitose opened his phone and sent a link to the Hudie Leader, who promptly opened his own and began navigating what he was sent.

"…Geeze, this kid… bankrupt millionaire stabbed him because of some local rumors surrounding him with bad luck when he was just a kid?" Ryuji shook his head.

"You're telling me… apparently, some TV Station heard about it and picked-up the story. They tried to make a supernatural documentary based on our friend here, and even went so far as to release images of him without his family's consent when it aired; probably ruined the poor kid's reputation." Chitose crossed his arms. "Safe to assume that's why his parents sent him away; staying in town probably would have been a death sentence for his social life after being hailed as "A God of Misfortune," you know?"

"…What a bunch of pieces of shit. The worthless pile of garbage stabbing him is one thing, but some executives decide to single him out for ratings just to rub salt in the wound?" Ryuji frowned. "What's that status of this station, anyway?"

"Out of commission; the backlash that came with their questionable tactics caused them to go under. I already checked." Erika replied. "…Little disappointed actually, I was hoping they were still around so I could wreak them myself. People's childhoods aren't something you play with."

"That's what I was thinking… guess the public just saved us a bunch of work." Ryuji smiled for a moment. "How is the formatting coming?"

"It's done; sending it now." Erika replied. Ryuji nodded, and opened up the next set of data he was sent quickly.

"…Alright, we have his parent's names… no one particularly special," Ryuji began. "Age: sixteen. School location and name… name of specific teachers… school schedule…"

"They have his schedule available on his profile?" Chitose asked.

"Academy City is a research and development city, above being the ultimate center of learning. If a researcher wanted to look at a particular esper, such a thing would be necessary. Considering how it's encrypted, it's likely that only someone with a high degree of authority would be able to get access." Erika stated.

"Makes sense, but still…" Chitose replied.

"…Ability level: 0… Ability: Imagine Breaker…?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't… level 0's supposed to be powerless?" Chitose asked.

"…That's correct." Erika answered.

"Ability description: Cancelation and elimination of unnatural supernatural phenomena. Located in the right hand of the owner. Confirmed to work on all espers, regardless of level. Cannot be detected with traditional equipment. Constantly active; other than moving his hand, control of this ability appears to be impossible, no way of turning off this ability… warning: do not remove right hand, otherwise…?" Ryuji sat up fully as he read.

"…Well, keep reading boss-man." The blond sat up too.

"…That's it. The rest is blacked out. Erika; I thought we got the master copy?" Ryuji asked.

"We did; I took a few others and confirmed it when I made the same discovery." Erika replied. "…Read until the end; it will make sense, Onii-san."

Curious, Ryuji read on. Up next was event details; a specific area that dictated various events or experiments in an esper's life that researchers might find interesting.

However, almost everything was blacked out, just like the tail-end of Touma's ability description.

"What the hell…?" Ryuji kept reading, finding nothing. A few words or phrases here or there were visible, but otherwise the numerous pages were blank. He kept reading until he found the very last line on the very last page. It read:

"Un-redacted copy only available to the General Superintendent of Academy City, and only to those with explicit permission from the General Superintendent of Academy City… in other words: Not you. And not your employer either. I must say; it has been a long time since someone from outside the city hacked in… I'm quite impressed. Did you find everything you were looking for?"

Silence filled the room as Ryuji read the message aloud.

"…They knew we were in the system the whole time." Erika spoke. "But… then why let us have any information at all?"

"I think it's a warning. The caught us, but they let us get away with the hack anyway by just altering what we picked up… the message probably is, "The next time you break in, we won't be so nice," or something." Chitose commented.

"…They not only knew we were in, but that someone gave us the job… they probably know it was Yuugo too if I had to guess… how in the hell…?" Ryuji spoke as he leaned back against the wall.

"The last thing we could do would be to do a medical check… what's the word?" Chitose asked. The Hudie Leader shook his head slowly.

"No… no this is where we need to back off of this." Ryuji replied. "We'll give what we have to Yuugo and explain what happened. Considering we did everything that we asked to do… but…"

"We should keep quiet about this after we hand off the information… we especially can't tell Keisuke." Erika replied. "He already has a lot to handle with him trying to track down whoever stole his identity. I don't want to see how he'd react to find out that a new friend of his has gotten himself into something this… serious…"

"Ah… worried about the rookie, huh?" Chitose grinned.

"…Just what are you implying?" The sullen girl crossed her arms and glared at the blond hacker.

"Knock it off." Ryuji replied. "…But I agree to keeping quiet about this job; it could cause some discomfort for Keisuke. I'll hand this over myself. I'll let you know if we're still being paid or not." Ryuji stood up and left to do the handoff as he described.

However, one question remained in their minds.

Just who was Kamijou Touma?

* * *

 **And we arrive at the bottom once again!**

 **In this one, we tackled the idea of if/how Espers work in EDEN, since last time we more or less did as such last time with the Magic Side. I think I made it fairly clear what the rules are for the most part.**

 **A bit of a slow one... but not everything will be revealed all at once... just bits and pieces until the full picture is unveiled.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	4. An Encounter with a Cyber Sleuth

**Chapter 4 has arrived! Hopefully your ready!**

 **Here are some review responses!**

 _Animan10:_ Yup; we had to figure out how to handle Espers at some point... and who better to fully demonstrate than the number one himself? I actually changed Mikoto's partner several times during the developmental stages; at one point it was HiAndromon for example, but another character gets HiAndromon with how this story is set-up, so I didn't want to have any repeats. Yeah; Touma is the lowly noob while everyone else are the end-game players, huh. Accelerator and Touma's friendship is an odd one, but I feel like that's what makes their interactions work. Aleister seems to have his hand in everything, huh?

 _Ace1stonewall:_ He's going to have it rough for a while... trust me.

 _ENDDRAGON369:_ My current thought process is that he just has Dorumon, and I won't be commenting on any digivolution stuff; spoilers, ya know.

 _Mr. X:_ Now that you mention it, we'll be handling stuff like that today! That would be good for the symbolism between the two, though I think their aces would be very different. Plus, I feel like LadyDevimon would probably fit someone like Misaka Worst a lot better.

 _ptl:_ I can't reveal too much about how the Misaka Network interacts with EDEN at this time. Same for those who Touma manages to infect with the Kami-yan disease. As for meeting Aiba... well, look at the chapter title!

 _Yolea Irk's:_ You'll see how thanks twist now that a certain someone is fully involved. I'm glad your enjoying it so far!

 _whwsms:_ You're liking quoting stuff to start these reviews off, huh? As for Fluffy... I'll neither confirm nor deny. Glad that this story is still getting your approval and holding your interest!

 _wolfking:_ You'll see my friend... you'll see...

 _WiliamZ0:_ The Symbolism behind Dorumon is something that will become clear as time goes on, but the selection of Dorumon was definitely not random. The main reason against Hackmon and thus Jesmon is actually more to do with there already being a Hackmon/Jesmon in the Cyber Sleuth story; trying to avoid repeats with major characters. As for where Dorumon goes... you'll see. Same with how the story progresses, my friend.

Heh... Mikoto has gotten better, but is still not good at handling talking to our unlucky Kamijou, huh? Touma does get around when it comes to big figures in whatever word he's inhabiting, be it science, magic, or cyberspace. As for how Accelerator's team goes... you'll see. I can't go into too many details here, otherwise I'll spoil stuff. As for King Yggdrasil vs Tree Diagram... gotta give it to Yggdrasil, as he manages the entire digital world. And to answer your question from your second review; I usually write everything before posting. The only series that is written and uploaded on the spot is The Bust Upper Incident.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Have to craft the kind of world before we jump into the plot. Establishing how everything works... I think this will be the last one of doing that, now that I think about it. Aleister has his hands in everything; even in the digital world, you know! Kamijou Touma is basically his little pet project after all! Glad your enjoying this so far!

 _vietnamese guy:_ As said above, QueenChessmon was the last decision for he partner. What I knew is taht I wanted to go against the idea of giving her something cutesy; wanted to touch on something more akin to her tomboy side of things, and thought that the strongest of the Chess-Digimon would fit. Only other thing I could think of that someone else didn't already have was Chaosdramon, but he would be more suited for someone like Accelerator. Speaking of Accelerator, more of what he has and will get will be revealed later.

 _wiliamsusanto:_ In EDEN, digivices are unchanged I believe. I actually did not think to hard for designs for Mikoto and Accelerator's digivices...

 _Guest (1):_ Glad your enjoying this so far! You sure do have an active Imagination! I will say that Last Order does have a digimon... but which one is a mystery!

 _Guest (2):_ That's a theory alright! The thought process for their attraction to Imagine Breaker will make sense when we touch on it.

 _Guest (3):_ I'll keep the phase talk to a Minimum until its warranted, but that is addressed.

 **With those taken care of... let's get into it! Enjoy!**

* * *

Some days are better than others.

Some days are worse than others.

And then there were some days that made you question if whatever almighty deity presiding over the world, if he or she existed, was some kind of vivid sadist with a dark sense of humor.

Out of these three, one Kamijou Touma would definitely select the third option this particular day.

"Alright… Index here we are; Kowloon." Touma sighed. He was in EDEN once again, but this time he had a companion.

None other than the Index Librorum Prohibitorum herself. In addition, in her arms rested the unlucky Kamijou's own partner, Dorumon.

"S-so… this is what astral projecting would be like… I like the blue color, but doesn't everything seem a little… dull?" Index asked.

"It's the graveyard of data; I don't think they care about how it looks you know." Touma scratched his head. "Moreover, I still can't believe you went out and bought your own Digivice behind my back. Such misfortune…"

"But it wouldn't be nice to make you get me one when you already spent so much on your own… I just dipped into my own personal savings a bit." Index protested.

"What I mean is if you could just go out and buy one of these like its nothing, then couldn't you help me with the grocery shopping once in a while!?" Touma shouted.

"…But shopping is done with Touma's money."

"Do you not understand the concept of money!? It doesn't matter who does it, as long as we get what we need to survive!" Touma shouted louder. In response, Index puffed out her cheeks and pouted.

"…Touma is being very unreasonable." Index pouted.

"Say that again. I dare you." Touma deadpanned.

"Touma; can we go find this di-gi-mon thing now?" Index asked. Touma let out a heavy sigh.

"…Fine, let's go." Touma replied. "Also, he likes being held, but don't squeeze too hard, ok?"

"Ok!" Index smiled happily. Dorumon let out a little happy yelp as he rocked his head back and forth and wagged his tail. The three then proceeded forward on their quest; to find Index a digimon.

To find the reason for this quest, one must travel back in time. When Touma arrived home, he discovered Index had bought her own Digivice; an expensive looking pendent she wore around her neck. It looked so extravagant in fact, Touma's wallet hurt just looking at it, the only relief being that Index bought it with her own money.

And then she wanted Touma to show her EDEN. It started simple enough, having Index make an account and login for the first time. They both dropped down into the EDEN entrance relatively easily, though Index was more than a little ecstatic and seemed to be amazed by every little thing.

It took a little work to get Index how to use her console to enter commands, call people, and send messages, let alone how to move from site to site. She did learn however that her status as being completely technologically inept remained uncontested.

Not long after though, the two got into an argument about dinner. Touma asked if Index wanted hamburgers, fried chicken, or pasta for dinner… and Index's response was that she wanted all three. Words turned into bites rather quickly, but in a rather unusual way.

Index tried to bite the unlucky Kamijou, but missed just narrowly. As she tried to bite him again, something else bit her back, causing her to howl in pain.

It was revealed to be the little Dorumon, defending his partner. Touma was scared at first how Index would react seeing a digimon, especially after it had attacked her.

However, all of his fears melted away as despite being bitten, Index seemingly fell in love with Dorumon the moment she saw him, abruptly hugging the poor creature. The little purple digimon was rather surprised himself, glancing over at Touma with a confused look when the silver haired nun abruptly embraced him.

After that, Index wanted to know what Dorumon was, and Touma explained what little he knew about digimon. Index was immediately hooked and said she wanted one of her own, and thus the quest was born.

However, strangely enough, no real digimon stood out to Index that much in Kowloon. She saw a few that she liked but none that she for-sure wanted. Touma crossed his arms and decided that it might be best to try to find some up in Kowloon level 2, and away they went.

However, there was little luck to be found there too.

"Why do you have to be so picky…? You can have more than one, you know?" Touma sighed.

"I've found a few I liked… but they just don't… feel right for me…" Index continued to hold Dorumon, who just seemed content to be around and given affection.

"…You know, if this is some kind of plot to make me give you Dorumon, it's out of the question."

"E-eh!? B-but he's so cute!" Index cried out in shock, only realizing after that she admitted her guilt.

"Keep that up and I'll take him away from you."

"N-no! He's just so fluffy and cute… uru… f-fine… I'll try harder!" Index stated.

"It's not a matter of trying… you just need to find one that you like. I should be able to copy and send you this digimon capture program, so there's no real work to it as long as they want to come along." Touma replied. They began to press ahead but someone came around the corner as they took the long way around Kowloon 2, accidently crashing into the unlucky Kamijou when his eyes were focused on something else.

"G-ghack…!" Touma moaned. "…Such misfortune…"

"Touma! Are you ok?" Index raced over as Dorumon pried himself from her grip to check on his partner.

"F-fine… just a little startled…" Touma rubbed his head as he pushed himself up. His eyes shifted over to the person he had just slammed into.

It was a girl of about seventeen. She had grey eyes, short red hair, which was worn in a ponytail on the left side and tied by a set of blueish-gray goggles. She wore a yellow shirt with black sleeves and an odd logo on her chest. She also wore a black glove on her right hand, and a short black pleated skirt and yellow stockings. She also had a yellow backpack with black straps on her back.

"Ugh… way to go Ami… you get super excited only to crash into someone…" The girl rubbed her head. "S-sorry… I didn't hurt you did I?"

"N-no, I'm fine. Accidents happen." Touma pushed himself up, as did the girl across from him.

"I guess… oh!" The girl suddenly seemed rather happy to see the unlucky Kamijou. "Hey, can you help me with something?" The girl cheerfully asked, locking her hands behind her back and leaning forward a little bit.

"Y-you crash into me then start trying to recruit me for something!?" Touma shouted.

"It's nothing special… I'm just looking for a particular digimon. Its name is "Calumon," have you seen or heard of one?" The girl asked again.

"Calumon…?" Index asked.

"Yeah! It's a cute little white digimon with large eyes but small limbs. Its ears can apparently extend, but it has an unusual gem on its forehead… have you seen it?" The girl asked again.

"…The gem makes me think it's one of Dorumon's relatives…" Touma asked. The little purple digimon however only tilted his head in confusion, shooting down that theory rather quickly.

"It's a job we got; apparently someone saw some men abusing the little guy and want to make sure its ok and if it's not; get the little guy to a safe place." The girl replied.

"A job?" Touma tilted his head.

"Yup! My name is Aiba Ami; I'm a Cyber Sleuth… apparently. It's just how things worked out…" The girl rubbed the back of her head. "My situation is a little bit… weird… and hard to explain properly…"

"That's fine… not everything in life is super straight forward." Touma shrugged. "My name is Kamijou Touma, and this is Index… and that's my Dorumon, I guess." He scratched his head as he turned to face them, Dorumon smiling lightly upon being addressed.

"Cyber… sleuth… like a detective?" Index asked. Ami nodded and the silver-haired nun's face practically lit up. "That's amazing! I love detective stories! Touma; lets help her!"

"Eh? Index, you can't go volunteering me for stuff like that! Besides; if she's working, we should stay out of her way so she can do her job." Touma scolded.

"Actually… I'm not having too much luck… an extra set of eyes would actually be very helpful at the moment…" Ami sighed. "It's apparently a one of a kind, and no one I've found as seen the little guy…"

"See Touma? She needs help!" Index proudly put her hands on her hips.

"Ugh… please bear with us for a bit…" Touma sighed.

"It's ok. It's to help me out, isn't it?" The cyber sleuth replied. "Besides; like I said, some fresh eyes could be helpful… I've hit a dead end."

"A dead end huh…" Touma replied. "…You said that the one who posted the job saw people abusing the little guy… right? Any word on what they look like?"

"Their appearances were apparently fairly variable… the only thing they have in common are black cloaks and these weird large gold rings they had on." Ami explained. "It was said that they saw the men in Kowloon… but didn't say which floor."

"…Black cloaks and large gold rings, huh." Touma let out a nervous laugh. After all, that description matched those from Machina Revolution from the other day. "…We're in Kowloon level 2, right? By chance have you checked out the last area?"

"No… I was on my way over when I heard voices. I hadn't been able to question anyone here on floor two, so I made my way over hoping to get some information… I just got a little… excited is all." Ami sighed, scratching her cheek in an embarrassed fashion. Touma grumbled under his breath.

"…So… this is how today is going to go huh…" He stated. "Well… since you haven't checked out the last area… suppose we might as well head over…"

"Touma…? Is something wrong?" Index asked.

"…Let's just say I have a bad feeling." Touma replied. And with that, the group moved on. They were already about halfway to the last area, so it didn't take long.

And, Unfortunately, Kamijou Touma's bad feeling proved accurate.

Four people stood around a little white digimon, matching Ami's description rather well, though it was noticeably injured. Touma recognized three of them as the two men and one woman from the other day, but the fourth person was entirely new.

He was about seventeen years old, and had messy red hair and brown eyes. He wore a long-sleeve coat that only covered his chest, and underneath that a set of black tights, along with a set of baggy blue pants. A large mantle was draped cross his shoulders; the only reason most of his body was visible was because he had the cloth pulled behind him. To finish his unique outfit, he wore four large gold rings on his wrists and ankles, just like the rest of his allies, and an unmarked Japanese general's hat. He appeared to be rather fit for his age, with some muscle definition visible due to his tights, but was in no way bulky.

The group hung back for a time, though there were few places to hide anyway.

"Alright… so; I'll ask it." The teenager with the general's hat spoke up. "Who hurt him?"

"…It was me. It's the third time he escaped from his cage and… I lost it." One of the other men spoke up, holding his head.

"Well; we are holding the little guy against his will, so him trying to run off is natural…" The general hat male sighed. "It'll be a non-issue once we're fully transitioned to the new spot… but it goes without saying; we can't let this happen again, got it?"

"Y-yes sir…" All three spoke in unison.

"…And the next time he gets hurt, I'll deal three times the damage back on you; am I clear?" The male grinned lightly, causing the three subordinates to jump.

"Y-yes sir!" The spoke in unison again.

"Alright, throw up the gate. I'll take the little guy personally; let's go." The general hat male shouted. On the spot, all three magicians ran to the back of the area and opened up a rift, stepping inside.

Once the coast was for-sure clear, the group ran ahead.

"Touma! T-those were magicians! I know that spell; the rift is stable but doesn't last very long!" Index spoke. True to her word, the rift was already beginning to shrink; it had already gotten too small for a normal person to pass through by the time they reached it.

"Damn it, we're too late…" Touma cursed. However, Ami approached the shrinking portal and outstretched her right hand.

Suddenly, her entire avatar stretched out and compressed, as if she was turning into a thin piece of wire. She flew straight into the portal, vanishing instantly inside.

Both Touma and Index changed glances, not sure what just happened.

"…I-Index… was that… um…"

"I-I've never seen a spell do that to someone before…" They both glanced back at where the rift in space once was. They sat in silence for a moment until a loud noise brought it to an end.

It was Touma; he had a phone call on his Digiline.

"U-um… h-hello?" He answered, still confused.

"Hey, it's Ami!" The voice on the other like spoke up. "So… that thing I traveled into dumped me out into a private server of some kind… I saw those guys there but I stayed out of sight… so I can send you the URL if you still want to help me with this."

"…W-what the heck did you just do!? A-and how did you get my number!?" Touma shouted.

"Remember when I said my situation is a little unusual…? It's related to that." Ami replied. "I sent you the link… we can talk about it later… but…"

"…But what? Why do people always do that before making some kind of unreasonable demand…!?" Touma shouted.

"If you want to know about me, I want to know what your little friend meant by "spell." I've seen a few hackers around but no one with the ability to teleport from server to server outside of a logout zone." Ami stated. Touma's eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze slowly over to the silver haired nun next to him.

"…You just had to mention "spell," didn't you?"

"Eh!? H-how is this my fault!?"

 **-7 Minutes Later, Unknown Server-**

The area was a dark purple hue, even the sky above. It appeared to be constructed like a maze with tall walls surrounding the various paths.

At least that meant that the risk of falling to one's death was zero.

"So… magic huh… I've had a job or two dealing with some occult stuff… but it's still a little hard to believe." Ami held her hand to her chin.

"…I'd like to point out that your body is half digital and you can jump around the internet and the real world like its nothing, yet to you magic is the impossible." Touma deadpanned.

"Pbfh!?" Ami suddenly doubled over. It appeared that Touma's observation was so accurate, it caused the cyber sleuth physical damage.

Though it was true, Aiba Ami's situation was more than an unusual one, even by Kamijou Touma's normal standards. An attack by an Eater while she was logging out caused a malfunction in the system, causing part of her mental data to be corrupted. The end result of that corruption was her body becoming half-digitized when she exited EDEN. An unprecedented phenomenon that most would reject outright as impossible.

However, Kamijou Touma was a veteran when it came to dealing with the impossible. Compared to rampaging magi and world-altering magic gods, Ami's half-digital body was just another day in the week.

"Y-you have a point I guess… hah…" Ami breathed out.

"Don't feel bad; Touma did the same thing." Index replied.

"…And so did you when I described my right hand." Touma turned to face the silver-haired nun, whose face lit up bright red with embarrassment.

"Y-you shouldn't remember that! H-how did you know!?"

"I didn't." He grinned.

"Why yoooouuuuuuu!" Index suddenly tackled and began biting the unlucky Kamijou all over, with said unlucky Kamijou trying to shove the silver-haired nun off him. Ami watched the brawl unfold for a time before speaking up.

"I don't wish to interrupt the comedy routine… but we have someone to save." She spoke with a smile. The two stopped mid-brawl and separated, dusting themselves off.

"…So which way did they go?" They both asked in unison.

"D-don't act like I didn't just see that!" Ami shouted. The two continued to feign innocence, causing the cyber sleuth to sigh. "…They went down the middle path. I don't know if there are any other turns around, but that's where they went."

"Together? They didn't split up?" Touma asked.

"No; they were carrying Calumon with them. They mentioned a ritual, but didn't say what." Ami replied.

"So we have to navigate the maze… such misfortune…" Touma sighed.

Index however, proudly laughed and put her hands on her hips.

"Fufu~ a maze is the best kind of puzzle for someone like me!" She proclaimed. "I can memorize our path; if we come across an area we've seen before, I'll know instantly!"

"…That's right! Your perfect memory!" Touma nodded.

"Eh? Photographic memory?" Ami blinked.

"That's right! And I have good analytical skills too; I can analyze thirty frames-per-second anime easily and find any flaw in it!" Index crossed her arms proudly. "Leave it to me! Let's go!"

The group began their march into enemy territory. The maze proved to be as confusing as it appeared, and they hit more than their fair share of dead ends.

However, Index's memorization and analytical skills proved to be just as good as she described, and they eventually found their way out. The three approached an open circular area. It too had another path inside, but just one in the very back.

In the middle, Calumon rested on a table of some kind, while the four magi from before prepared some kind of ritual with a large magic circle surrounding the table. The group stayed behind just enough to remain out of sight, but gain the ability to hear them.

"I don't know what's going on… what are they doing…?" Ami asked.

"…Incantations," Index began. "…The sect of magic they are using… and the rhythm… its healing magic…?" She seemed confused. Suddenly, the magic circle began to glow, and bright blue light could be seen from the table. After it faded, Calumon could be seen, seemingly fully healed, and giving off the impression that he was sleeping rather peacefully.

"…There we go; little guy shouldn't be hurting anymore." The general-hat male smiled lightly. "I have a feeling that I know the answer, but we haven't found any other digimon like this guy, have we?"

"Not even a hint…" The woman of the group spoke up. "Looks like the boss' suggestion that Calumon is one of a kind is accurate…"

"Ah… damn…" The general hat male sighed, rubbing the back of his head for a moment. "Was hoping to get more of them so we could switch off every now and then… having him use his digivolution ability on folks is awfully stressful for the little guy, so having someone else help carry the burden would have been nice…"

"How much longer do you think before we can fully replicate it?" One of the men asked.

"Hard to say… right now, our method works but causes whoever we use it on to go berserk; can't have our partners doing that…" The general hat male spoke, sighing after. "…It sucks to say, but we might have to have him do another round of digivolution…"

The group stayed back, hearing everything as the spoke.

"…Ok; I've had enough… what is digivolution?" Touma asked.

"It's… a bit hard to explain… you know natural evolution, right? Think of it as something like that. Their form will change and they will usually get stronger, but their personality will stay the same." Ami whispered. "How it happens apparently involves data intake, and emotions from a partner can influence it… but the exact ins and outs I don't know… I'll have to ask Mirei-san for specifics…"

"…I think I get it… so that Calumon can cause digivolution…" Touma spoke. "…And they're forcing him to use that power for them."

"Poor little Calumon…" Index frowned. Touma glanced over at the silver haired nun before turning serious.

He broke off from his allies and approached the room; they had to confront them some time.

"…Hey!" Touma called out. "Just what the hell are you doing to him, huh!?"

"Who the hell…?" The woman turned towards the voice, only to pause the moment she saw him. "I-it's you!? What are you doing here!?"

"I said; what the hell are you bastards doing to that little digimon!?" Touma spat, still approaching them.

"We don't have time for this." The general's hat male stepped around the others so that he was directly facing the unlucky Kamijou. "Get blown away you piece of crap, **Cyclone!"** He reeled his hand back before thrusting it with his palm open, a green magic circle visible in his hand.

Instantly, the circle shined bright green and a rampaging twister erupted out.

However, just as instantly as it appeared, it vanished with a loud shattering sound. Touma stood with his right hand outstretched. The general hat male's eyes narrowed.

"…Is that so? A counter spell…?"

"No… sir; this boy is the Imagine Breaker. We saw him in action with our test on the BlackGarurumon." The woman replied.

"Imagine… Breaker?" The wind mage questioned. "…Well, that makes things all kinds of interesting, doesn't it? Surround him."

The two men and one woman did as they were told and cut off the spiky haired teen's main escape route. Touma made no move to escape. The general hat male stepped forward.

"Names Fukutsuwa Hiraku; the guy in charge of these three at the moment." He introduced himself. "So; care to explain what the legendary Imagine Breaker is doing on our own private server?"

"What can I say? If I stumble upon people doing questionable stuff, I usually get involved." Touma replied. "Let Calumon go."

"…Ah, so that's why you're here." Hiraku held his hat down. "No can do, boyo. The 'mon is with us, and we need it for what we want to do. If our research was done it'd be a different story but for now… he's ours and that's how it's going to stay."

"You think that's going to be enough to sway me?" Touma replied.

"Probably not, but it hardly matters." Hiraku let go of his hat and stretched his hand out, parallel to his shoulder. A whirlwind seemed to envelop his entire arm, raging to intensely it became impossible to see the teenager's arm. "After all, Imagine Breaker can only block one attack at once, right!?" He held out his other, which was similarly enveloped in a mass of rampaging wind.

Touma bit his lip and held up his right hand.

"And that's all I need to know! **Double Cyclone!"** Hiraku thrust both of his hands forward, launching both blasts of wind straight forward.

However, an angelic voice rang out, calling out quadrants of some kind, and suddenly the twisters turned just before they would hit the unlucky Kamijou, and flew right back at him.

"What the HEEEEELLLLLLLLL!?" Hiraku screamed as his own attacks slammed into him, sending him flying back and over the table in the middle of the room and into a wall with a loud crash.

"Touma! Are you ok!?" Index came out of hiding, and it became clear that the reason the magician's spell backfired was due to her spell intercept. The remaining three quickly

"Damn…! Witchmon! Kill the Imagine Breaker!" The woman of the three called out. At her word, a digimon in the form of a blonde witch dressed in red appeared, and attempted to attack the unlucky Kamijou from behind.

"Gargomon! **Dumdum Uppercut,** go!" Ami called out. A large humanoid rabbit with gatling-guns for arms, jeans, and a bullet-belt over his shoulder suddenly attacked Witchmon, slamming said gatling-guns into the digimon's side, sending her flying.

"Aiba-san!" Touma called out. Index used the opportunity to slip through and join the spiky-haired teen.

"Don't worry about me; I can handle these three! Togemon, Guardromon, let's go!" Ami shouted. At her word, two more digimon spawned, one taking the form of a large cactus with legs and boxing gloves, and the other a rather sophisticated brown robot. Touma paused for a moment before nodding and racing towards the table with Index not that far behind.

There was a small barrier around Calumon, but such a thing was an easy fix for Touma's Imagine Breaker. With the wall shattered, Index was able to carefully lift the little digimon off the table. As she did so, Calumon's eyes suddenly fluttered open.

"W…where… am I…?" Calumon managed to speak. It appeared that he was one of the few digimon capable of speech.

"Don't worry; you're in a bad place now, but we're here to take you to safety." Index cheerfully stated. As the two stepped away from the table, a gust of wind could be felt from above.

"I'm not finished with you yet!" Hiraku was on active once again, despite the powerful blow. He unleashed another Cyclone spell, but just as before, Index's Spell Intercept was able to direct it elsewhere, rendering it harmless.

"It's pointless. Your magic is sloppy and easily read! I can send it back at you as many times as necessary!" Index spat, quickly running away with Calumon clinging to the nun's habit.

"If magic won't work, then I won't use magic! Kuwagamon, let's go!" Hiraku shouted, with his digimon manifesting behind him. It appeared similar to a stag beetle in design, although he was a bipedal digimon with four arms and two legs, colored mostly red but also had black muscle issue visible on various parts of his body. His head was eyeless with black markings and a pair of long mandibles, and had a pair of large wing and a pair of elytra on his upper back.

Kuwagamon roared loudly as he flew straight ahead, charging straight for the two ahead of him.

"Index! Get clear!" Touma pushed Index out of the way as he jumped to the side, just narrowly missing the beetle digimon's charge. He flew around and appeared to pick his target as he flew down, charging at Touma.

"Touma! Be careful!" Index called out. Touma continued to run, occasionally looking back only to find Kuwagamon right behind him.

However, something pushed him down to the ground, allowing him to just narrowly dodge a clamp attack from the beetle digimon's pincers. He looked up to find that it was Dorumon, who leapt from his back, jumping over Kuwagamon in the process.

The purple digimon used his Metal Cannon attack, firing off numerous metal balls at the flying beetle's wings to try to ground it, though his shots seemed to have little effect. However, a few stray shots hit Kuwagamon's exposed muscle tissue, causing some visible discomfort as he roared out.

"Put that little punk in his place, Kuwagamon!" Hiraku called out. Kuwagamon flipped in the air, bringing itself just above Dorumon before kicking down, sending the purple digimon toward the ground with a loud thud. "Good, finish it off with **Scissor Arms!"** Hiraku called out Kuwagamon dived down, repeatedly opening and closing his pincers, and it became clear what he intended to do.

Dorumon slowly brought himself to his feet, but the beetle digimon would prove too fast to dodge normally.

However, Dorumon was shoved out of the way. Touma took the attack, being caught in Kuwagamon's massive pincers, and then was slammed into a wall rather high in the air.

Touma howled in pain. It may have just been his EDEN avatar, but it genuinely felt like he was being crushed. He beat on the beetle digimon's pincers, but in response, Kuwagamon simply tightened its grip.

Dorumon's eyes widened, focusing on the pinned Kamijou. It wasn't long before he began yelping and began to run over to the two, hoping he could do something.

"…Brave move there, boyo." Hiraku commented. "Too bad it's just going to get you crushed instead. No hard feelings, ok?"

Touma grit his teeth as Kuwagamon squeezed the life out of him.

"Listen here… you son of a bitch…!" Touma managed to shout. "To you… these digimon might be just a means to an end… and part of me understands why you think that… but to me… they look and feel like living beings! Just like you and me! They breath, they eat, they laugh, some can even talk! So… so…!"

Touma bit his lip before shouting once more:

"I'm not going to let you hurt them anymore! And especially not my Dorumon!"

Something snapped. Suddenly, Dorumon froze in place. His eyes widened, and before anyone could tell, his entire body began to shine a bright white light.

The silhouette of his form began to grow, and when it faded, the changes were clear.

He retained his beast-like appearance, but was much larger than before, on par with Kuwagamon himself. His purple fur was darker, and had lighter purple lightning-like stripes across his body. His claws were larger and were now a dark red, his wings where much larger, and even his tail had grown. The only things that remained from his previous form were the white colorations on its chest, paws, and snout, and the red gem on his forehead.

Touma's HUD displayed his partner's new form.

"Dorugamon…?"

Dorugamon roared out unleashed a massive cannonball from his mouth, slamming right into Kuwagamon's side with enough power to send him flying, eventually hitting the ground with a loud crash. The force shocked the beetle digimon enough to cause him to release the unlucky Kamijou, who quickly began to plummet from the sky.

He had little time to scream however, as Dorugamon used his claws and wings to run up the wall, leaping off of it, causing the unlucky Kamijou to land on the purple digimon's back.

Being one known for clinging for survival, Touma grabbed ahold of his partner and didn't let go until they landed. After the ordeal, Touma pushed himself up, looking around in confusion.

Index's focus appeared to have shifted; focusing more on the magi fighting with Ami's digimon, though Hiraku didn't seem to notice. Eventually his gaze focused on his partner below.

"…Is that you, little guy?" Touma asked, somewhat cautious. Dorugamon simply turned his head and smiled cheerfully. The unlucky Kamijou eased into a smile himself and patted his partner lightly.

"It… digivolved…!?" Hiraku spat. "Quick, before they can get a hang of it, attack him Kuwagamon!"

Kuwagamon roared and shot back up into the air, already preparing to charge down at the two. Touma knew another fight was about to commence, but he glanced back at the magician with the general's hat.

Touma could tell he still thought that Index would counter his magic, but he had no idea how long that ruse would last.

So rather than disembark his digimon, he instead adjusted himself so that he was riding on Dorugamon properly.

"Let's go; I'll be here with you every step of the way. Let's take him down!" Touma shouted. Dorugamon roared out in agreement and charged ahead. Kuwagamon aimed to capture the two in his pincers yet again, but just as the attack came, the purple digimon suddenly ducked down, narrowly dodging the assault.

And shortly after, as Kuwagamon flew just above him, sprang back up and head-butted the beetle digimon in the stomach. While Kuwagamon's shell was as hard as steel, it quickly became clear that the parts that exposed his muscle tissue were his weak points.

A theory that was corroborated when Kuwagamon howled in pain, doubling over and falling out of the air due to the impact.

"Why you… **Cyclone!"** Hiraku thrust his right hand forward, unleashing a tornado from his palm. Dorugamon reacted quickly enough to dodge the attack. Hiraku repeated the attack several times, with the purple digimon dodging it each time except for the last.

The last attempt was canceled out by Touma's Imagine Breaker, and that was followed by a shot of metal from Dorugamon, nearly hitting the wind mage and staggering him due to the shockwave created when the iron ball hit the ground next to him.

Kuwagamon was far from finished however, as he suddenly tackled the purple digimon assaulting his master, sending him rolling. Touma clung to his partner for dear life and managed to remain mounted when Dorugamon got up to his feet again.

"You alright, big guy?" Touma stroked his partner's fur lightly, and received a nod in response. "Alright, let's finish this then!" Dorugamon cried out and ran full speed, Kuwagamon returning the gesture as the beetle digimon took to the air once again.

A fake-out attack wouldn't work again. This time, it was head on or not at all. That decision made, the moment the two would clash, Touma gave his command.

"Hit him with everything you got! **Power Metal!"**

Power Metal was Dorugamon's most powerful attack. Touma didn't know how he knew the name, but right now, he didn't care. Dorugamon inhaled deeply, before unleashing another iron ball from his mouth, this time easily matching the size of the beast digimon's own head that shot off like a rocket.

The iron ball slammed right into Kuwagamon's head, the force of the blow causing a noticeable crack in the beetle digimon's shell. It wailed in pain as his head was thrown up into the air by the force of the attack, only for his cries to be silenced by a follow-up Power Metal attack that hit him right in his chest. Kuwagamon flew backward, carried by the force of the assault, before ultimately slamming into a wall with enough power to crack the normally impenetrable digital landscape. Kuwagamon slowly slid down from the wall and landed with a thud, clearly unconscious.

The beetle digimon then faded away, seemingly returning to Hiraku's Digivice.

"K-Kuwagamon…!" Hiraku grit his teeth. He had little time to mourn his loss however, as Dorugamon suddenly appeared next to him, staring him down when the wind mage turned to face him.

Their gazes where locked for a short time. Hiraku ended the staring contest with a sudden jerk of his arm, but Dorugamon retaliated by spinning and smacking him with his purple tail, sending him flying into a wall himself close to the continuing path that appeared to head deeper into the server.

Their fight finished, Touma turned his attention to Ami and her fight…

…It was a slaughter. Ami proved to be more than a match for the three magi, and without their magic to aid them, their defeat was inevitable.

"W-who the hell is this chick, anyway!?" One of the male magi shouted.

"A cyber sleuth! And don't you forget it!" Ami proudly proclaimed. The magi's digimon were sprawled around, while Ami's three-man team surrounded her. The opposing digimon faded away, being recalled into their Digivices.

"W-we don't have a choice! Retreat!" The woman mage cried out. The two men nodded in agreement and ran the opposite direction toward the continuing path. They did stop however to pick up their commanding officer, Hiraku, and carted him away down the path while he was dazed and shouting something about "Never surrender!"

A firewall popped up between the two groups, blocking pursuit, but that was far from the group's goal.

Both parties were more than capable of chasing them down before the firewall was made, but their goal here was something else entirely.

"Hey, how is Calumon?" Touma rode on Dorugamon over to the group, getting off when he reached them.

"He's fine… I think…" Index commented, the little Calumon rested in the silver-haired nun's arms.

"I'll… be ok… I think…" Calumon spoke. "There… was something I needed to do… but I can't remember very well… I'm… I'm…!"

Suddenly, a loud growling noise erupted and filled the area, putting the group on guard, thinking that some kind of wild digimon had appeared. It was eventually discovered to be resonating from the white digimon himself.

"…Hungry…"

All those in the group collectively sighed.

"I have some spare meat I can give. I use it for my own digimon, but it is an emergency after all. I have plenty." Ami opened up her console and shortly after, a comically big piece of meat on a bone appeared in Ami's free hand, who was quick to offer it to Calumon.

"Ohhhh! That looks so good! Can I have one too!?" Index asked.

"…Index, you can't eat stuff like that here in EDEN." Touma deadpanned.

"W-why not!?" Index shouted

"You don't have a digestion system here! Even if you did eat it, you'd keep it on you constantly, and god knows where all that meat would go!"

"Y-you're implying some really dangerous stuff, Touma! A-are you saying I'd get fat!?"

"Of course I am! Where else do you think all of that meat data would go!?" Touma shouted. Index abruptly froze, and then shook rather timidly as she turned towards Ami.

"J-just the one p-please."

"Someone with your appetite can't be seriously afraid of something like that, can they!?" Touma shouted. Ami simply smiled and handed the big piece of meat over to Calumon, who was eyeing it the moment it appeared. Oddly, Calumon appeared more than strong enough to carry the large slab of meat.

Dorugamon however approached the little digimon. Calumon noticed and began to look afraid, trying to slide away from the purple digimon.

At least until Dorugamon began to lick Calumon's check. After a few times Calumon began to giggle.

"S-stop that! It tickles!" Calumon giggled out.

"…You really are just a big puppy." Touma blinked. Calumon stopped giggling as Dorugamon stopped his licking. The little white digimon held out the piece of meat over to the purple digimon. Despite Dorugamon's jaw being large enough to eat the whole slab in one go, Dorugamon only nibbled off a small piece, before pushing the rest back towards Calumon with his snout.

"Aw… the big guy knows Calumon is hungry, but doesn't want to be rude and say no either." Ami smiled, crossing her arms casually behind her back.

"You big fluff-ball." Touma began to pet and brush Dorugamon with his hands, and it quickly became clear he enjoyed the attention.

"Well, mission complete! Calumon rescued!" Index stated. However, Index appeared to remember something and began to frown. "Ah… that's right… finding him was part of your job, wasn't it, Ami?"

"Yeah…? What about it?" Ami asked.

"You… probably need to take Calumon with you, right?" Index asked. The cyber sleuth brought one hand to her chin and began to think. It didn't last long, as Ami lowered her arms again and smiled.

"Details of the job were that if Calumon was in trouble, that I get him out of it and make sure he settles somewhere he'll be happy… if he's happy with you, that sounds like it fits that second requirement to me." She replied. Index practically lit up like a Christmas tree with joy.

"Calumon! Do you want to come home with me? I-I'm sure I can figure out how to get you lots of meat to eat! A-and I can help you remember what you needed to do!" Index pleaded. Calumon paused from eating for a moment, before smiling and nodding. "Yay! Calumon, my name is Index! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She hugged the little digimon rather tight.

"Careful! He's still trying to eat!" Touma scolded. With little else to speak about, or a reason to stay, the group made their way towards the exit, with Ami opening up her own log for just a brief moment to mark her job as "complete."

 **-Unknown Location-**

In a certain place and a certain time after this incident, a woman was sitting in her office going over a report her subordinate left on her desk. She was a beautiful woman with black eyes and waist-length blond hair. On her head rested a set of black-frame sunglasses with pink lenses. She wore a long-sleeve button-up blouse with the top buttons undone, leaving her cleavage exposed to the world, as well as black gloves, a black scarf over her shoulders, a pair of black hotpants, and finally a set black high heels.

Her name was Kuremi Kyoko, and she was the one in charge of the Kuremi Detective Agency, and one Aiba Ami was her partner. She glossed over the report with a noticeable smile.

"…Digivolved in the middle of battle huh? That's rather impressive... I wouldn't mind sharing a cup of coffee with someone like that." Kyoko chuckled lightly, finishing her review. She glanced out the window of her office for just a brief moment.

"And something about magic too huh… maybe I should have Ami send this Kamijou Touma over to Mirei…" She mused aloud as she sat alone. Mikagura Mirei was known as a "Digital Witch," and was rather entwined with the ongoing events as she too was helping Kyoko's assistant. During a meeting they both had, Mirei said she was also looking after another person, a boy hacker trying to recover his stolen identity.

After a small passing of time and a sip of her own special blend of coffee (That may or may not be safe for human consumption) however, Kyoko shook her head.

"…No, I think this boy will be just fine on his own. Besides; I think Mirei has enough on her plate managing two people at the moment." She decided. With the review of her assistants work complete, she sat up, intending to head out.

She had her own job to do, after all.

* * *

 **So our Unlucky Kamijou has touched with both side of the Cyber Sleuth half of the world.**

 **And we have had another encounter with the cabal, "Machina Revolution," and have seen our first digivolution. Things are heating up a little bit, huh?**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	5. Into the Thick of It

**Alright... now, as the title suggests, we begin to start digging into the meat of what's going on in the "Kamijou Touma Route."**

 **Before that though, we have some reviews to respond to!**

 _Animan10:_ Yeah... it's well known that Index is technologically inept and can't use magic... but she can always make use of her flawless memory and analytical skills!

 _Guest/YCG:_ You'll see how it reacts to long distance attacks, or ones that cause projectiles or other effects. Also; its fine. No worries!

 _Mr. X:_ I am aware; the one your refering to is "Mastemon." Fun fact, Mastemon actually premieres in the Cyber Sleuth games, as the partner of someone in game. I still personally feel like Misaki's partner would be TigerVespamon, due to the notation of Misaki being a"Queen Bee" so to speak. But there is also someone who also has that digimon here too... 100% not sure about Seria though.

 _Yolea Irk's:_ You'll see how Aleister operates in the shadows... fufu...

 _whwsms:_ Kami-Yan disease is not limited by simple biology... the simple fact they are human and female means they are vulnerable...

 _WiliamZ0:_ Not quite yet... don't worry; Nokia will meet the Unlucky Kamijou! Funny that you mention Delta Force interactions... heheheheh... Yeah; I felt like Touma meeting Ami would have to be accidental in some way; they wouldn't meet naturally. Sorry that I can't comment on absolutely everything, as spoilers are a thing, but you'll see where it all goes.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Touma sure does get around, huh...? Glad you liked the digivolution sequence! Ready yourself for the future; Dorugamon has two more stages to go through!

 _wolfking:_ Thanks! And you'll see... right around now actually!

 _NeoShadows:_ Believe me; if you liked the first, you'll love Hacker's Memory. Digimon is oddly going the more serious route while Pokemon constantly tries to play it safe, and Hacker's Memory is ample evidence of this. Couldn't recommend it more if I tried. Touma's route is more his own, even if it does cross with the others on occasion, and as you can tell, has a lot more to do with the Occult that the other two games only lightly touched on. That was kinda my train of thought for Espers too; if it comes from the mind, shouldn't they be usable wherever their mind is? Accelerator having Dracmon is a tad intentional... he has a particular Mega depending on his route that fits Accelerator more than he would admit... and its not GranDracmon. Glad you liked the second run-in with our new Magic Cabal; you'll be seeing them a lot. Good luck with your writing, and enjoying Hacker's Memory

 _ptl:_ I won't be commenting on appearing characters, just know that I couldn't include EVERYONE from all sides of this, otherwise the cast would be so bloated I'd have no idea what to do with everyone.

 _Q-Guest:_ Like above, I won't comment fully on who all appears. But don't worry; you'll see a few

 _0 Jordinio 0 (on Chapter 2):_ Maybe in a traditional rendition of this game series, he'd be his second partner. Him just having Dorumon/Dorugamon is a choice to help aid storytelling, the main reaosn being that Dorumon/Dorugamon is just as much a character as everyone else. You'll see what I mean.

 **With That out of the way... let's take a look, shall we?**

 **Edit: Several people pointed out that I made a small typo with Tsuchimikado's sister's name, which I have corrected. No other changes were made. Thanks, you guys!**

* * *

"…Listen, I'm not trying to downplay the appeal of the maid genre, I'm just saying it's not really popular these days! Right now it's secretaries; the idea of having an attractive lady right outside your door at your beck and call, willing to do whatever you want is the hottest thing! The possibilities are endless!"

"And I'm saying that maids are never out of style! Their usefulness is actually practical in an at-home setting on top of a maid outfit! Plus, they operate along the same lines as a secretary; they just wear different clothes, nya!"

"Will you two shut up already!? I'm trying to get this done!"

Right now, in a private Server in EDEN, owned by Academy City, a group of students known as the Delta Force was hard at work on programming projects for their classwork.

…Well, It'd be more accurate to say one of them was working. All three had arrived together, but two had already finished their respective assignments and simply remained due to a lack of anything else to do, much to the unlucky Kamijou's annoyance.

"Hurry up Kami-yan, we really need your input." Aogami Peirce stated.

"Seriously; you're so slow, nya" Tsuchimikado Motoharu added.

"If I'm going too slow, then give me a hand!" Touma shouted.

"But then how will you learn, Kami-yan?" Aogami spoke up.

"Then quit complaining!" Touma spat.

"…But you're so slow Kami-yan, nya." Tsuchimikado added.

"I'm going to punch you, I really am! Me moving onto the next year is on the line damn it! I can't afford to fail!" Touma shouted.

"What are you even trying to program, Kami-yan?" Aogami, taking interest in what his friend was doing, wandered over to peer over his shoulder.

"…My cousin wanted a birthday present, but money is tight… I figured I could make her a happy birthday message. I can use it in class for the assignment, and then give it to her." Touma sighed. "…But the coding process is taking forever. This really isn't my forte…"

"Seems like you have the basics down though… but at the rate you're going, this will take all night." Aogami commented.

"I know… It's not due until the end of the week, but her birthday is in a few days… so I really have to work at it." Touma crossed his arms. "What about you, Aogami?"

"…Ehhh…. I had to remake mine… the theme I had in mind was "Divine Heroines of Cute Justice!" but…"

"He tried to show it to the big guy in charge of the class, and nearly got thrown out, nya." Tsuchimikado interrupted. "Hard-core NSFW material."

"…Not surprising..." Touma sighed. "How about you?"

"Advertising for Mika-chan's Maid Services!" Tsuchimikado replied. "She is a ways off from actually being employable, but Maika is so cute I couldn't resist, nya!"

"…Did you make her do poses for it too?" Touma deadpanned.

"Make her? Please, Maika will do anything for her lovely Onii-san! I brought it up and she practically volunteered right there, nya!" Tsuchimikado replied. The unlucky Kamijou simply blinked a few times before sighing; it really was just like Tsuchimikado to pull a stunt like that.

"I had the same idea, but getting cute girls to commit is harder than I thought… sure, I have Lillymon, but I don't want to make it all about one girl, I feel like that'd really betray the theme." Aogami added.

"…Hold on, Lillymon?" Touma asked. "You have a digimon?"

"Yeah, groomed her up myself, take a look!" Aogami grinned as his digimon manifested next to him. She appeared to be some kind of a fairy with four leaf-like wings on her back, and what could be seen as hair was made of green vines,. She wore a pink flower for a dress, and a flower bud with a yellow stamen on her head, and green boots. Other than that, the digimon appeared mostly human, and was actually just as tall as Aogami himself.

However, she appeared more than a little withdrawn and nervous, especially in comparison to Aogami himself.

"Don't worry about her; she is just shy!" Aogami wrapped his arm around the flower digimon's neck in a friendly manner, but that appeared to only make her nervousness worse.

"…Poor girl; being under Aogami's care must be hell." Touma stated.

"Hey, you trying to pick a fight with me, Kami-yan!? I give her all the love and care that she could ever need!" Aogami spat.

"…I think that's probably the problem, you know." Touma replied.

"…I-Its… fine… d-don't worry about it…" In a surprise moment, Lillymon herself spoke up.

"Oh hey, Aogami got one that can talk… that's cool." The unlucky Kamijou blinked. He turned to fully face the blue haired idiot, but as he did so, something lifted up his arm from behind. It was his Dorugamon, who had suddenly appeared. "Hey, you just wanting some attention, big guy?" He caressed Dorugamon's fur, something that the beast digimon clearly enjoyed as he began to rub up against Touma's side.

"So we're all showing off our 'mons then, nya? Guess I had better join up. Etemon, get out here!" Tsuchimikado grinned. His digimon resembled an orange stuffed toy monkey wearing sunglasses. His body was clearly worn, with several patches all over. The monkey digimon, despite his wear and tear, had a rather wide smile.

"If you want to show off, then there's no better digimon than me! A star; a glorious embodiment of entertainment just waiting to be unleashed!" Etemon appeared capable of speech as well.

However, his voice was much more annoying than the rather timid Lillymon.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to get worse before it gets better…?" Touma sighed. Dorugamon suddenly left his hand and turned around. "What are you… h-hey! My project!" Touma turned to find his partner gnawing on the coding he was working on. In truth, the thought Dorugamon was eating it, but as Touma turned, he was greeted with a rather pleasant surprise.

It was the program he was working on. It was a 3D animation, consisting of a few chibi-anime characters his cousin was into, along with a chibi-fied version of himself in the middle.

"Happy Birthday, Otohime-chan!" All the characters spoke in unison. Touma blinked a few times before shifting his attention to his partner.

"…Did you do that?" Touma asked. Dorugamon had a noticeable grin, baring a few of his fangs in the process. It gave the unlucky Kamijou the impression that Dorugamon was rather proud of himself.

"Digimon are basically data. I hear a lot of hackers use them as tools because they can really mess with programming." Aogami spoke.

"But that's still cheating! You have to program it yourself, even if you understood the basics! It's the application to improve one's skill!" Tsuchimikado pointed aggressively at Touma.

"Cheating! Disqualified! No exceptions!" Etemon mirrored his partner's action.

"…Then I'll make another one for class then. The main goal was a birthday present; the two overlapping just sort of happened." Touma blinked.

"No! No can do! Start over from scratch! If you truly want to improve your skills to pure majestic levels like mine, you cannot take shortcuts! One must be powerful! One must be impressive! One must be-!" Etemon suddenly paused.

As the monkey digimon spoke, he actually was approaching the program. He paused when he reached out for it.

Mostly because Dorugamon bit his arm.

His reaction was logical.

"GAHYAYAYAYAYA!" Etemon screamed at the top of his digital lungs. "Let go, let go, let gooooooo!" Etemon tugged repeatedly to try to free himself from Dorugamon's jaw, which he eventually did.

However, for his efforts, he received a rather large iron ball straight to the face that shot him across the digital room. The attack didn't break the monkey digimon's sunglasses, but it appeared rather painful.

"…I think Dorugamon is rather proud of his work and doesn't want you messing with it." Touma blinked. Dorugamon let out a loud bark; probably agreeing with Touma's analysis.

"Oh come on, it can't be that special." Aogami commented. "Here, let me- GACK!" The blue-haired idiot was suddenly head-butted before he could even reach Touma's virtual worktable. "S-st… stupid… mutt…!" He slowly climbed to his feet, but was assaulted again by the beast digimon when he jumped on top of Aogami.

He apparently did not like being called that.

"You little… how DARE you spew iron in my face you miserable insignificant brute!" Etemon shouted, jumping into the fight.

And just like that, a standard mauling turned into an all-out brawl.

Touma blinked a few times and sighed.

"You've got to be kidding… such misfortune…" The unlucky Kamijou slipped his hands into his pockets. He turned toward the project that Dorugamon helped him finish, only finding an unusual face standing just a bit behind him in the process.

"S-sorry… he got attacked so I used the opportunity to get away…" Lillymon was standing right behind the unlucky Kamijou, still appearing rather timid.

It was clear; she was desperate to get away from Aogami.

Kamijou Touma began to pat Lillymon's head.

"You poor thing… being linked to Aogami must be bad…" He spoke. Slowly, Lillymon began to tear up.

"H-he… does so many things… that… that…!" Lillymon abruptly hugged the unlucky Kamijou, crying softly into his shoulder. Touma pat the plant digimon's back, trying to comfort the crying girl.

Eventually however, they were noticed.

"H-hey! Kami-yan! You already have your legion of women following you; get away from her!" Aogami cried out in-between hits, as he was still stuck in the brawl.

"I'm comforting her. If you would treat her right, this wouldn't be necessary." Touma replied.

"You son of a bitch… I give her all of the love and affection I can possibly give! How could that possibly be wrong!?"

"Like I said before; that's exactly the problem! Your idea of love and hers are clearly two different things!" Touma fired back. Aogami looked ready to pull the unlucky Kamijou into the brawl until a loud shout interrupted everything.

"Just what the hell is going on in here!?"

It belonged to none other than Fukiyose Seiri. Moreover, what she saw made her twitch.

Tsuchimikado had turned oblivious to all the fighting and began watching his project play out before him… however, the simple fact it was all about his sister, and that Fukiyose lacked context to it, damned him immediately.

Aogami was still stuck in the fighting with Etemon and Dorugamon, which had abruptly paused at the iron wall girl's voice. A public brawl, to her, was inexcusable.

And finally, Kamijou Touma was in the arms of another girl… his fate was sealed.

The Delta Force got a not-so gentle reminder from Fukiyose that pain still very much works in this virtual world… and she did so in such a way that their partners didn't dare get involved out of sheer fear of the titan they were witnessing.

 **-13 Minutes Later-**

"I just wanted to finish my project and I ended up pummeled by Fukiyose… such misfortune." Touma sighed. He was currently flying around aimlessly in EDEN, outside of any real server. "At least the project is done… though I probably should try to look into the code and try and figure out exactly how Dorugamon did what he did."

It would probably be best to try to make a different project just in case anyway; the possibility of the other two members of the Delta Force tipping off the teacher was very real.

However, that was for another day; after the chaos with Fukiyose, going back to the school server to work was out of the question.

Honestly, he had little else to really do at the moment. He began drifting through his console over to the "log out" option, when a message appeared in his Digiline.

It was from a certain blond teenager around his age known as Hamazura Shiage.

"Hey boss, saw you were online. Want to chat? I'm over in the EDEN Community Area." Is all that it said.

"…Well, it has been awhile since we talked." Touma nodded. With the decision made, he flew off towards the selected server and landed without incident.

It didn't take long to find the dirty blond sitting at one of the benches in the lower level.

"Hey, Hamazura." Touma greeted.

"Yo," The bond replied. "What's up? I just got done with a job myself."

"A Job? You're doing work here in EDEN?" Touma blinked.

"Eh… I'm a bit in flux; when work drops down, I pick up the slack online." Hamazura shrugged. "Thus is the world we live in; got to do something to keep busy and keep the money flowing. Got a cute girlfriend to support you know."

"I suppose you got a point. I'm just stuck with course work… the weekend can't come fast enough." Touma sighed. "What kind of work do you do here on EDEN?"

"Freelance stuff, mostly." The blond replied. "Kind of just whatever someone needs doing. I got standards, but for the most part, I go for whoever will pay me for something I can do. This little guy helps me out."

Just as he spoke, a digimon materialized in Hamazura's lap. He was an orange beast digimon that stood on his hind legs, but was rather small, obviously a rookie-level. He had a patch of yellow fur on his chest, and a small flame on the top of his tail, as well as its forehead.

"…Even you got your hands on a digimon, huh?" Touma blinked.

"Yeah, his name is Coronamon. Say hi, little guy." Hamazura replied. Coronamon waved at the unlucky Kamijou; he appeared unable to speak. "Guessing that means you have one too?"

"Yeah, Dorugamon." Touma replied. As if responding to his name being called, Dorugamon appeared right next to his partner. Amused by his quick appearance, the unlucky Kamijou gently pet the beast digimon. "I don't really do any work with him; he's more of a… pet? I guess partner would be more fitting but…"

"Eh, I think I get it." Hamazura replied. "They just make hacking jobs easier, you know? Though it's not as if I could get rid of Coronamon these days. Little guy doesn't want to leave my side. I'm just lucky Aneri isn't compatible with EDEN, or I'm sure there'd be a shit storm… she gets jealous really easily…. " The blond pat his own partner's head rather gently.

"…Your AI gets jealous?" Touma blinked.

"I don't even want to try to comprehend it, so don't ask me, damn it! She does whatever she can do to get in-between me and Takitsubo at every opportunity!" Hamazura shouted, clearly frustrated.

The two began to speak about how they were doing and what they had been up to in recent weeks. However, just as they were getting into it, they were approached by someone.

It was a man, in his mid-to-late thirties by the look of him. Had short brown hair and red eyes, and he wore black dress pants, and a white dress shirt, which gave him a businessman-esque appearance.

The only real odd thing about him was the unusual smile he wore.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't happen to notice that you two have digimon." The man spoke.

"…Yeah? What about it?" Touma blinked.

"Oh, pardon me… I got a little ahead of myself. My name is Samson Ainsworth, and due to circumstances, I need to pay a visit to certain spot in a… peculiar location to retrieve something. I would likely be fine on my own but… you never what might happen in the depths of EDEN, you know?" The man spoke in detail. The two noticed he had a rather soft voice and was quite upbeat. The name itself was enough to tell the two teens that they were dealing with a foreigner, but remarked that his Japanese was rather good.

"…In Kowloon? Or deeper than that?" Touma crossed his arms.

"A location known as "Under Kowloon," level three to be exact." Samson replied. The two teenagers exchanged looks, neither one looking particularly enthused.

"We don't work for free, you know. As much as it sucks, the world runs on cash." Hamazura added.

"Of course; I wouldn't dare solicit assistance without the thought of compensation!" Samson nodded. "As dark as it is to think about, the object of greed known as money is rather prevalent in society… we can discuss it along the way; what do you say?"

"I mean… It's still early in the day for me and I don't have a lot to do, so I don't mind I guess." Touma scratched his head.

"A job is a job. Plus we're just playing bodyguard until he can find whatever he is looking for, right?" Hamazura shrugged. Samson clapped his hands rather excitedly.

"Good, very good! I would have had my own supporters assist me, but they are all off doing some rather important work; you both are absolute lifesavers! Come, come! Let us go so we can complete the task we have been assigned, yes?" He cheerfully stated.

Though the circumstances were odd, things were going to get stranger from there.

 **-Under Kowloon, Level 3-**

"And here we are! The report I received must have been for this area." Samson stated. He had just left the login point for the area before Samson quickly ran up. He had a unique spring in his step, giving the impression that he was enjoying himself quite a bit.

"…Hey boss? Can I say something?" Hamazura asked.

"Sure, I can't stop you." Touma replied.

"I fucking hate it down here in Under Kowloon." The blond stated.

It wasn't that hard to see why. Normal Kowloon's servers were ascending, climbing out of the garbage data. However, Under Kowloon's floor's were descending, as one did so, the surroundings grew darker and darker in color, as light found it harder to reach the depths.

Going down into Under Kowloon was like descending into the abyss; the farther you went, the less light there was to guide your path.

And in the end, there would only be darkness.

The group of three made their way into the deeper areas of the third floor, when Samson abruptly stopped. He knelt down and picked up something.

It looked like a claw, probably belonging to some kind of digimon. However, the significance of this finding was lost on the two level 0's.

"…I see… chipping due to battle…" The well-dressed man spoke. "It must be around here then."

"Exactly… what are we looking for?" Touma asked.

"A digimon; hurt from a wild battle. My subordinates managed to find the creature, but due to circumstances, all they could do was seal the wounded soul away to protect it from harm by altering the floors geometry." Samson answered, pocketing the clipped claw.

"So what… you run a digimon search and rescue business or something?" Hamazura asked.

"…Not exactly, but I suppose that is what we're doing at the moment." Samson smiled. They resumed wandering until they came upon a rather unusual wall.

It didn't look natural. As chaotic as Kowloon's server construction was, the structure before them seemed even more unusual, but exactly how was hard to put to words. It simply "looked off," giving an unusual vibe.

It became clear that this was what Samson was looking for, as he reached out to touch the wall.

"…Ah yes, unusual make… coding is much more loose than the floor… yes; I dare say this is it!" Samson smiled. However, Hamazura and Touma were far from joyous about the find.

Because just as Samson found the lead he was looking for, something else found them.

An Eater, the name coined by one Sanada Arata, spawned in the air behind the businessman, plopping on the ground with a loud thud. One long tentacle reached out and attempted to swipe at Samson, but Touma tackled him out of the way.

"What is the meaning…?" Samson spoke, but trailed off when he saw the monster he had been saved from. "…Ah, that makes sense now… I got too engrossed in my work again…"

"S-save the small talk for later!" Touma helped Samson to his feet as the Eater turned to face them.

"H-hey boss, just what the hell is that thing!?" Hamazura shouted.

"Bad news; if it touches you it'll eat you! Attack it with your digimon!" Touma shouted. Hamazura nodded as Coronamon spawned right in front of him.

"If that's something I can do, fine! Coronamon! **Corona Flame!"** At Hamazura's word, a large mass of flame gathered at the fire digimon's brow and shot off, exploding on contact with the Eater.

Though it did some damage, the most it did was shift the tentacle monster's attention over to Hamazura.

"A-are you kidding me!? Indestructible tentacle monsters in cyber space!? This is starting to sound like one of Kinuhata's shitty movies!" The blond backed up as the Eater began to move toward him. However, a massive iron ball slammed into the monster's side, sending it rolling. Touma's Dorugamon pounced on the monster shortly after, biting into it to pin it down, though the Eater struggled against Dorugamon's grip.

Dorugamon had it pinned, but it wasn't known for how long. However, getting the monster to sit still was the goal in the first place.

Touma leapt over his digimon and came down with his right hand, slamming it into the Eater's exposed eye.

A loud shattering sound rippled out as the Eater appeared to self-destruct. Pieces of it flew in all directions, before completely vanishing without a trace.

The unlucky Kamijou let out a relieved sigh as he stood up.

"That's done with… I see that those things are still popping up wherever I go… such misfortune…" He scratched his head before patting his partner's head, congratulating him on a job well done.

"…Figures that you'd be really familiar with them. Can't you go anywhere without getting involved with stuff like this?" Hamazura crossed his arms.

"…Hey, you know better than anyone that trouble like this comes and finds me more often than not." Touma fired back, not taking kindly to Hamazura's accusation.

"I suppose I owe you proper thanks for assisting me." Samson spoke up, interrupting the back and forth before it could really begin. "Sometimes that happens… I get so engrossed in work that I don't take notice of my surroundings. It really was a good idea to collect outside assistance after all..."

"That's a bad habit you really should kick…" Hamazura deadpanned.

"You're… absolutely right. I apologize for being a hassle. Truth be told… I could handle such a monster myself, but just having my own partners out to act as security makes it hard for me to move around… I am a rather polarizing figure at the moment." Samson sighed.

"I… guess it makes a little more sense if you're trying to keep a low profile…" Touma rubbed his neck. "So what's behind the wall?"

"An excellent question… allow me to undo the veil." Samson approached the wall again and resumed his work. After a few moments, the wall began to break apart and reveal a small alcove that looked much more natural.

However, what made the unlucky Kamijou feel uneasy was the appearance of a magic sigil just as the wall began to break apart.

"A… magician…?" Touma spoke under his breath. Nevertheless, he didn't speak up and simply let the wall collapse to reveal what lied beyond.

Behind the wall was a rather unusual sight; a large blue-wolf. His HUD gave the name "Garurumon," which made sense due to its very clear resemblance to BlackGarurumon from a week ago, but was confusing was the state the digimon was in.

Garurumon was lying on its side, motionless. Several pieces of it appeared to be missing, showing a green wireframe under the fur. If Touma didn't know any better, he'd suggest that this particular digimon was either heavily injured or outright dead.

"What the hell…?" Hamazura's eyes widened.

"Ah, that makes sense… yes, he fits the bill rather well." Samson spoke. "I told you I was looking for an injured digimon, why are you so surprised."

"Injured is one thing; that blue bastard looks like a corpse…" The blond replied.

"I suppose I can understand why you might think that, but I assure you he is very much alive… though for how much longer, I don't know. My associates appear to have tended to him somewhat… but his condition is rather iffy…" Samson replied.

"Can you even save the big guy?" Hamazura's hands drifted towards his pockets.

"Of course I can. Why would I seek him out if saving him was impossible?" Samson crossed his arms.

"…Do you intend to save him with magic?" Touma asked. The sudden accusation caused a silence to wash over the group. Hamazura, though not very familiar with the magic side, knew that such an accusation carried a lot of weight due to how the unlucky Kamijou said it.

Samson remained silent for a time, seemingly contemplating his answer.

In the end, he decided that being blunt would be best.

"…Yes, I do. Is there an issue with that?" He spoke.

Touma frowned, but just as he did so, a rift in space opened up inside the alcove, and out of it a man stepped out

The same man from before: Fukutsuwa Hiraku. His Japanese general's hat was a dead giveaway.

"Hey boss, we just finished rounding… up…" Hiraku's gaze shifted to the left, locking onto Kamijou Touma. "…You!"

"Not you again!" Touma spat.

"I… see you two have met…" Samson blinked. "…Oh, so he's the one from the report."

"Damn straight he is!" Hiraku shouted, his Kuwagamon appearing behind him, looking more than ready for a fight. "I don't see that girl who can twist my magic around this time…!"

"I beat you once, I can do it again, let's go Dorugamon!" Touma shouted. Dorugamon howled in response, running straight toward Hiraku.

Unfortunately, he never even got close.

A massive humanoid digimon appeared, heaving a giant blade, seemingly made out of bones that rested on his shoulder. He was covered in bronze armor pieces that were modeled after skulls, as well as numerous pieces of similarly created green armor with red markings, just a few shades darker than the digimon's own muscular body that was partly exposed. He had razor sharp teeth, wore a bronze helmet with four long horns, and had long grey hair flowing from his head from the headpiece, and his eyes were blood red.

The new digimon let out a mighty roar before using his free hand to bat Dorugamon away as if he was nothing more than a fly. Dorugamon landed with a loud crash after flying through the air due to the digimon's incredible strength. Touma froze in place, only slowly looking back at his fallen partner.

"Good work, Titamon." Samson stated. "Now is definitely not the time for fighting."

"T-that huge as monster is yours!? W-why the hell did you need help to begin with!?" Hamazura shouted. His Coronamon was hiding behind him, clearly afraid of the massive god-man digimon.

"Anything can happen in this world… as you can see; Titamon is reliable, but useless for any kind of undercover operation revolving around keeping my whereabouts hidden. Kind of hard to hide a two-story tall monster of pure power, wouldn't you agree?" Samson answered.

"You…!" Touma turned back toward Samson, his face twisted with fury. However, Samson simply kept his cool demeanor.

"And as you saw, keeping information restricted has certain restraints I have to place. I almost died to that monster, and would have if it wasn't for you… I believe that is the fabled monster supposedly haunting Kowloon. However, how you put it leads me to believe that there are more than one… which is very concerning. Maybe I should abstain myself from field work until a proper method to dealing with these creatures can be made…?" Samson spoke aloud, trailing off into another point, before shaking his head.

"…Samson," Touma spoke the man's given name with pure venom in his voice. "Just what the hell are you trying to pull here!?"

"Creating paradise." Samson answered with a smile. "Sacrifices must be made for progress… please, don't think ill of me; if possible I'd like to bring you to it as well."

As he finished, Titamon charged ahead, heaving his massive blade over with only a single arm, preparing to slam it down on top of the unlucky Kamijou.

However, just as he felt like he would meet his end, another unexpected event occurred.

"Machinedramon, **Infinity Cannon."**

Two large blasts of energy soared overhead and slammed right into Titamon's chest, sending it back. It wasn't enough to defeat the massive digimon, but it was enough to halt its attack and cause noticeable damage.

Touma turned to find Zaxon's own leader, Yuugo, with his partner Machinedramon approaching from behind.

"W-who the hell is that… k-kid!?" Hiraku stuttered out. It was clear he was trying to sound tough, but seeing his boss' Titamon be halted so easily unnerved him.

"Y-Yuugo…?" Touma called out. "What are you doing here?"

"A little birdie of mine told me that I'd find something rather interesting down in Under Kowloon if I took a look around," Yuugo began. "And wouldn't you know it? I find a familiar face along with the leader of a certain hacker group… today is turning into a rather productive day, I must say."

"T-this b-brat is Zaxon's Yuugo!?" Hiraku shouted.

"…B-boss!? S-since when do you know the top dog hacker in the entire god damn internet!?" Hamazura called around.

"Hold on… leader of a hacker group?" Touma asked, clearly confused.

"Very much so." Yuugo answered. "Samson Ainsworth, the leader of Machina Revolution. I believe this is the first time we've met face to face."

Touma glanced back and forth between the two. Stiyl had pointed out that to those unfamiliar with magic, Machina Revolution was just another hacker team… but had he really just been hanging around the leader of the whole cabal?

"…I'm inclined to agree. So it seems I have garnered enough ire to attract even Zaxon's gaze." Samson answered.

"You've been making a name for yourself; you expect me not to notice? I think it's time for a little discipline to be doled out for the trouble you've been causing." Yuugo replied.

The two stared at each other, their digimon ready for a fight.

It was Hiraku who spoke up to end the pre-battle stare down.

"…Boss," He began. "Recovery is complete. I won't disagree with your choices, but I think getting into a scrap with Zaxon's Yuugo when he very well probably has his boys waiting just around the corner sounds like a really bad idea…!"

This caught Touma's attention again. He was curious about what Hiraku meant by "recovery," but such was made clear when the nearly dead Garurumon that was in the alcove was suddenly gone.

"…Yes, I agree. Our resources are spread thin as it is, so a full fight between factions is out of the question… and even if we had our full numbers, I fear we'd be horribly understaffed for such an encounter…" Samson spoke. As he did so, they both walked back to the closing rift that Hiraku had entered from, only for said magician to force it back open with his magic.

"Stop!" Yuugo ordered. Machinedramon fired its cannons again, only for Titamon this time to block the attack with its massive blade. Hiraku stepped through the rift as did Samson, but just before doing so, the cabal leader turned toward Kamijou and smiled.

"It was a pleasure to meet you. Hopefully next time we meet it will be under more pleasant circumstances, and hopefully when that time comes we will be able to see eye to eye."

And with that, Samson vanished, as did his Titamon.

"…So he escaped. Being able to drift in and out from server to server regardless of local is a problem… I have to definitively corner him to prevent his escape…" Yuugo spoke. With the danger finally passed, Touma turned his attention toward his partner, who was slowly climbing to his feet, clearly in pain. Touma ran over to his digimon's side.

"Easy boy… you're really banged up, you know…?" Touma helped his digimon to his feet.

"…I see he's digivolved since we last met." Yuugo suddenly changed topics and smiled towards the unlucky Kamijou. "Here, allow me." The white-haired boy opened up his console and went typing away. After a moment, a green light enveloped Dorugamon and his wounds healed quickly, causing the beats digimon to jump up, suddenly full of energy.

"I… should learn how to do that…" Touma sighed. "Thanks Yuugo-san… I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem. Just Yuugo is fine, by the way." The Zaxon leader replied. Hamazura walked over to the unlucky Kamijou and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Boss… be straight with me… did you somehow find yourself stuck in some kind of online gang war…?" The blond asked.

"…It's more complicated than that… but seeing that Yuugo has gotten involved… it sure does seem that way, huh?" Touma replied.

"Be careful… as an experience from my Skill-Out days, gang wars can get real brutal." Hamazura stated. "Theft, kidnappings, ransoms, bombings, chopped-off fingers… it can get really nasty real quick…!"

"…Why are you comparing my Zaxon to the Yakuza?" Yuugo appeared less than amused.

"I-It's just the kind of crazy shit gang wars can lead into! Even if it's between hacker teams! Hacker teams are basically just online gangs with ones and zeros on their side!" Hamazura replied.

"Hamazura, it's fine," Touma replied, petting his Dorugamon. "I don't know about Zaxon itself, but Yuugo is an alright guy. Helped me out of a pinch before this one."

"Eh… you really think so?" The blond asked.

"Give me some credit. If I really didn't care, I would have just let him finish you both then take them by surprise when he deleted your accounts." Yuugo replied. Receiving the ninth degree from Hamazura was starting to get on his nerves, and it was beginning to show. "Besides… Zaxon is about keeping the peace here in EDEN; we aren't some kind of gang that mugs or attacks people. If we've set our sights on someone, it's because we find them to be a problem that needs to be removed, pure and simple."

"…Well, I guess you saved us… and you apparently saved the boss before…" Hamazura scratched his head.

"See? He's fine." Touma sighed.

"I'm just being careful… you get sucked into stuff a lot." Hamazura replied. "…But considering everything, I suppose I can give him the benefit of the doubt… but the leash Hamazura-kun's puts on people is super short! Mistreat him and I'll bring the full wrath of this shitty level 0 upon you! Understand!?"

"…Crystal. I'll take good care of him." Yuugo smiled and lowered his arms to his sides.

"You better… anyway… now that is taken care of… I'm going to split. Stayed on here way too long." Hamazura stated.

"I'll be along in a bit myself. Take it easy, Hamazura." Touma replied. With that, the blond level 0 left for the exit. Touma however stayed behind to give Dorugamon a once over. He was sure that Yuugo's healing had been fine, but he just wanted to be sure.

With his concerns addressed, Dorugamon returned to Touma's Digivice, and he began to make his way toward the exit.

"…Hold on a moment, Kamijou-san." Yuugo called out.

"Eh? Need something?" Touma blinked.

"From what I hear, you have had a run-in or two with Machina Revolution, right?" The white-haired boy asked.

"…Why does everyone magically know about that…!?" Touma sighed. "…Yeah, I've had to deal with them before… what about it?"

Yuugo put a hand to his chin and closed his eyes, thinking. After a moment or two, he returned to his neutral stance again with a smile.

"From what I can see, they are causing you a bit of trouble. How about we go have a little discussion about what to do with them, shall we?"

* * *

 **And so we've had a run-in with the Cabal Boss of Machina Revolution... and more over, we also have had a second meeting with Zaxon's own leader, Yuugo.**

 **What could Yuugo have in mind for our unlucky Kamijou...? Only time will tell!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	6. Invasion

**Another week, another chapter! Let's take a look at some reviews!**

 _whwsms:_ Glad this is keeping your interest so far! Hopefully this stays nice and interesting for you.

 _Guest (1):_ I feel like giving Aogami a girl digimon works because... well; its exactly what he'd go after. As for what happens with Lilymon... you'll see.

 _blaster522:_ Thank you, as well as everyone else, for pointing that out. I have corrected this small typo.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Yeah... I like using Hamazura; he's lots of fun to have around. Meeting the Cabal Boss so early caught you off guard, huh? Muhahahahahahaha! Then I can only wonder how i'll mystify you next!

 _Mr. X:_ I guess I can see it... just not as their Ace digimon I guess. And yes, Aiba-san is one of those characters where you choose a gender. As a heads up though, Amazawa Keisuke is not; his gender/appearance is fixed. I can see Asia with Renamon for sure.

 _WilliamZ0:_ The Delta Force has arrived! You'll see them again as long as the story stays in Academy City for the time being. The design idea behind Lilymon I described above... and it'll go a place, for sure. As for Fukiyose... your not really surprised, right? Though most of the physical humor is more for comedic value. I'd comment more on Coronamon's counterpart if it wouldn't insinuate stuff later... sorry. As for Samson... you'll see a little of what he's got going on soon enough.

 _Yolea Irk's:_ You'll see some team work soon... and with some unexpected folks too!

 _wiliamsusanto:_ 21 chapters total... but they'll start getting longer once we get farther in. I've kept certain people at just 1 digimon intentionally, and I think you'll see why eventually. As for Yugo's secret in relation to Touma... I have ideas... heheheh...

 _ScytheMasterX:_ That they will! But who and what digimon is the mystery...

 _Q-Guest:_ I'm focusing more on the End-Points for the evolutionary lines more that their individual pieces that makes them up. You can infer that with how Lilymon evolves however you wish.

 **And with that taken care of... let's go!**

* * *

A few days had gone by since Kamijou Touma's run-in with the leader of Machina Revolution, Samson Ainsworth. In the end of that conflict, the leader of the number one hacking group, Zaxon, unexpectedly became involved and ended up saving the unlucky Kamijou and his friend Hamazura Shiage.

His name was simply Yuugo, and preferred to be called such.

After the end of that conflict, Yuugo extended an invitation to speak about the opposing organization with the intention of dealing with them. It was simple: Kamijou Touma had been having numerous run-ins with the group, so Yuugo offered to deal with them, as they were a common enemy, but Yuugo needed information on the organization as a whole.

What Touma didn't know was that the Zaxon leader already had a sizable amount of information on the unlucky Kamijou himself, above and beyond those simple clashes.

"So… uh… nice place…?" Touma spoke nervously.

The reason he was nervous? He was in the Headquarters of Yuugo's group, Zaxon, the location simply called the Zaxon Forum. It was far from empty, filled with boys and girls from all walks of life. The one thing they had in common; each one was wearing a hoodie with "Zaxon" written out on the front and back, signifying their loyalty.

Kamijou Touma was in a den of lions and one bad move would lead them all to pounce on him.

"It's nothing special, honestly. Just your typical forum server. I let those who are part of the group customize it, as long as everyone agrees. Regardless of how it looks, it is just a place to call a headquarters for me." Yuugo answered. The two were walking towards the back end of the area as the Zaxon Leader spoke. Touma was getting a little unnerved with all the strange looks he was getting however.

"…So, is this the guy?" A female voice was heard. Before them was something akin to a stage, and on it, a girl was sitting.

She had blue eyes and brown hair braided into a double bun with a yellow hair clip, and seemed rather indifferent to what was happening. She wore a black and yellow crop top that exposed her stomach, a white and blue jacket, black gloves, a yellow cloth around her waist, and black pants.

"This is him, yeah." Yuugo answered. "Kamijou Touma, this is Fei Wong. She is my right hand when it comes to business."

"Ah… I see… it's nice to meet you." Touma rubbed his head. However, the girl known as Fei simply crossed her arms.

"…He doesn't seem like much to me." She stated.

"Well, I'm not really a hacker, so…" Touma's hand moved to his neck.

"That much is obvious; you just strolled in here in your school uniform for god's sake." Fei replied.

"Well sorry for being a high school student, but I'm not dropping out just to satisfy you." Touma was starting to get irritated. "Besides, I'm not going to change and dirty another set of clothes! I have to pay for everything that gets cleaned, so I have to pick and choose carefully!"

"That sounds like a personal problem."

"It is! And I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't poke fun at it!" Touma shouted. At this point Fei began to smile.

"Well, even though he looks painfully average, at least he has some spunk." The bun-haired girl spoke. "So he's our informant for the Machina Revolution situation, right?"

"He's even met their leader and spent an extended amount of time with him. I'd say he's just about as good of an informant we could get our hands on." Yuugo replied.

"…J-just how much of the past few weeks do you know!?" Touma shouted.

"Just about everything. We've had you shadowed and bugged off and on for a while now." Fei answered. "We were outsourcing it, but after a while we decided to do it personally... haven't been recently though; stuff got complicated behind the scenes here at home."

"I-I thought that was just Tsuchimikado playing a prank! That was you!?" Touma shouted. Fei began to laugh.

"Fei; stop antagonizing him." Yuugo ordered.

"Sorry, he's just fun to tease. It's hard to resist, ya know?" The bun-haired girl replied.

"Such misfortune…" Touma sulked. "…So what exactly do you need me for, exactly?"

"Information. You've had close quarters contact with them on occasion, anything you can provide would be helpful." The white-haired boy answered. "What were you doing with Samson Ainsworth the other day?"

"That? He just wanted to find an injured digimon he heard about from his men but lacked the manpower for support, I think." Touma replied. "I know they apparently can force their digimon to digivolve, but that causes them to go berserk I think… unless they've improved their craft. I'm just as confused as you are when it comes to what they are trying to pull, though."

He did his best to keep quiet about the magic side's involvement, but truth be told, other than the fact that Machina Revolution was made of magi, he himself didn't know much. Stiyl hadn't contacted him since they first met, so there wasn't any more information he could claim other than what he personally experienced.

"That corroborates reports I've been given then…" Yuugo replied.

"Can I… ask what exactly they've been doing in EDEN? I have run into them a few times, but I haven't exactly done any hard research or anything." Touma slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Typical stuff; account raids and other illegal activities to get capital, but what's been annoying is their aggressive nature." Fei answered. "They've been moving from place to place with a "crash and burn," mentality; they take whatever isn't nailed down and destroy the rest. They've also been rather prone to upfront steal hacker's digimon if given the chance, and they keep getting bolder and bolder with it."

"Currently, I've been trying to locate their current base of operations; until recently they have been working out of various places in Kowloon, but the trail has gone cold." Yuugo put a hand to his head.

"…Well, I guess I have something for you then." Touma replied. He then opened up his console and sent something to the Zaxon leader.

"…What's this?" Yuugo tilted his head.

"A URL… I think; I did send it right, didn't I?" Touma sighed. "Due to circumstances, I ended up chasing some of their members to that server. Seemed to be a personal one to me, so maybe it's their hideout? They put up a firewall to stop me from chasing after them deeper, so there must be something to protect in there."

"…You don't say?" Yuugo smiled. "What a better way to corner them than their own server…"

"That's where what I know ends, sadly." Touma replied. "I'm just going to say to be careful; they'll use stuff other than just digimon to defend themselves. I just hope this helps somehow…"

Touma couldn't tell them about magic; he'd get laughed right out of the Forum if he did, but he felt that he should at least need to warn them that the people they'll be fighting would go above and beyond just ordering their digimon to attack.

"Don't worry; you have given me exactly what I needed. As for dealing with them, I have just the people in mind for something like this…" Yuugo replied. "…Ah, I think that's them now." The sound of people landing in the forum could be heard, and Touma turned to look.

He was surprised when he saw them; there were two people, one of which he recognized.

Amazawa Keisuke. He didn't recognize the man with grey hair and green tank top though. He did see a blue hoodie tied around the man's waist, and took that as a sign that he was from the same group Keisuke belonged to.

"…Eh? Kamijou-san?" Keisuke blinked. "What are you doing here?"

The man walking next to Keisuke seemed rather stoic. Touma could have sworn he saw his eyes widen for a moment, but if they did by the time he looked again he was already back to normal.

"I should be asking you that." Touma rubbed his neck.

"Hudie's timing is good. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were eavesdropping on us for the perfect timing to appear, Ryuji." Yuugo spoke to the man in the tank top.

"As if we'd try something like that just to look cool." Ryuji replied. "…Though Chitose might if given the opportunity."

"More than likely… but we should cut the banter. It seems that Keisuke is familiar with my informant, Kamijou personally; that makes things a lot easier." Yuugo stated. "As you know, our clash with the Demons group is coming soon."

The Demons was a splinter group formed of former Zaxon members, led by a man who went by the name Jimmy KEN, often shortened to Jimiken. They were notorious for having a reputation just as bad if not worse than Machina Revolution's own.

"That's right; you wanted Hudie to keep out of it as much as possible, if I'm right." Ryuji replied.

"That's right… this job doesn't deal with the Demons directly, though it is somewhat related. A particular group, whom I'm sure you heard of, has been getting a lot more problematic recently. They might try to capitalize on the conflict to try and take out both parties, which is something I'd like to avoid." Yuugo continued. "Machina Revolution has been enjoying some popularity in the community due to their ruthless actions, but I think it's time someone reigned them in, preferably before dealing with the Demons. Understand?"

"So you want them taken out?" Ryuji crossed his arms.

"In such a way that the chance of them interfering is zero." The white haired boy replied. "It would appear Kamijou has found their base; a private server. I have the URL needed to access it, so I just need someone to head in and eliminate them while we're here preparing."

"Got it," Ryuji crossed his arms. "I've been hearing stories about them… it's probably for the best before they become a real problem."

"...So this guy is with you after all, then?" Touma asked, turned his attention to Keisuke.

"Yeah… Ryuji-san is more or less my boss… we were called out here out of the blue. Normally Chitose-san would be here instead, but he had something else he had to do and couldn't budge on it, so I ended up taking his place."

"…Life of a hacker, huh? Sounds rough." Touma sighed.

"So the job is to head into their very own private server and trash them so they won't be able to mess with the fight with the Demons… got it." Ryuji replied. "Been while since we've had the charge of completely crushing a group rather than just beating them in a fight or two…"

"See that it's done." Yuugo replied. "…In fact, it might be a good idea to take Kamijou with you; he's been there before and knows a fair bit of the lay out."

Kamijou blinked only once.

"…What?"

"You sure sending in an ordinary user is for the best?" Ryuji asked.

"He's dealt with them before. Plus, they have access to unique forms of attack he seems to innately counter; even if he's not a true hacker he should be a valuable asset." Yuugo answered.

"Stop right there!" Touma shouted. "J-just what did I get volunteered for!?"

"To head on and deal with Machina Revolution once and for all. I figured you'd like to do it personally since they've been inconveniencing you." The white haired boy asked.

"Far from it; what do I look like? A glutton for punishment? As long as they're dealt with, that's good enough for me. Besides, I thought this was going to be short. I have to do some shopping; it already hurts enough that I have to get discount food on sale and deal with the crowds because my account is nearly empty, I don't want to have to miss the sale and have to buy groceries for the week at full price! That'd cripple me…!"

"…Ah, so you're financially challenged? That's too bad." Yuugo blinked.

"You're looking down on me, aren't you!?" Touma shouted. In response, Yuugo simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Suit yourself I guess. It's a shame; my intention is to pay everyone involved." Yuugo stated.

"…Hold on, no one mentioned a paycheck here, and I feel like that's very important information!" Touma replied.

"Too bad; since it's a hard job, I was going to pay double the usual fare." The white haired boy stated.

"D-double!?" Touma stuttered out. Ryuji closed his eyes for a moment before replying.

"…You're asking us to completely disassemble a powerful group; I'm not doing it for any less than triple." Ryuji replied, a slight smirk on his face.

"T-t-triple!?" Touma's stuttering got worse.

"Triple huh… I see… well it is that important…" Yuugo appeared deep in thought, but there was a noticeable smile on his face as well.

"A-and he's considering it!?" Touma shouted.

"I wonder how long before he realizes he's being conned into joining up… he doesn't even know what the normal rate is to begin with." Fei commented to herself.

"…Don't fall for it, Kamijou-san…!" Keisuke prayed.

"Well, I guess if I'm paying for one less, then-"

"H-h-hold on, Kamijou-chan has had a change of heart!" Touma suddenly shouted, holding out his hand in-between the two. "S-surely you're not planning on heading into unknown territory without some kind of guide, right!? As someone who has already traversed this place and fought them myself, allow me to play the role of your beloved senpai this time! I'll be more than happy to help!"

"Understood; welcome aboard." Ryuji shook his hand, and both the Hudie and the Zaxon leaders nodding in unison.

"He fell for it…" Keisuke and Fei had the same thought, but noticeably different reactions to Kamijou's decision to join the campaign.

 **-Machina Revolution's Server, 10 Minutes Later-**

Only upon arriving in the cabal's personal server did it fully click that Kamijou Touma had been conned.

He should have realized it when they asked for his signature, but now it was too late.

"…Such misfortune." Touma sighed.

"Sorry; Kamijou-san…" Keisuke rubbed his back.

"Could be worse; at least you are on pay roll for this." Ryuji stated.

"That is the literal only upside about this situation!" Touma shouted.

"Please stop shouting, it's too loud." A fourth, unknown voice spoke up. It sounded like it was coming from every direction.

"A-ah!? T-there's a voice in my head!?" Touma began to look around frantically, finding no one else in the process, which only seemed to scare him further. As one normally immune to telepathy, unknown voices suddenly appearing in his mind was more than a little distressing.

"When we were in transit, I added you to the group line we use when we are on a job." Ryuji replied. "To get introductions out of the way, I'm Mishima Ryuji, and the girl you're hearing is Mishima Erika, my little sister. She'll be working as support for us."

"Support…?" Touma blinked.

"Checking login and logout logs, scanning for traps and abnormalities, keeping an eye on other users that happen to appear, and a lot of other miscellaneous things." The voice stated again. "Due to circumstances, I can even hack if need be. Before you ask; just use first names with me and my brother; it'll be much less confusing."

"I-I guess if you say so, Erika-san…" Touma rubbed his neck. "Though I have to ask how you can hack from wherever you are…"

"It's all thanks to me!" Now a fifth voice sprang up, but this one was actually in the area this time… and it was coming from Keisuke's back.

On his hoodie, a small green caterpillar-like digimon with a pair of long antennae and ten legs with pink claws rested, sticking to rookie-hacker's back.

"Y-you stuck Wormmon on me again!?" Keisuke shouted.

"It's just the most convenient place!" Wormmon replied, closing his eyes in a way that gave the impression that the little bug digimon was rather content with his position.

"…The world of hackers truly is like another dimension to your average high schooler like me…" Touma commented.

"Wormmon and I are connected mentally; if I can do it, so can he. It's been like this for some time, before you ask." Erika stated.

"I… want to question that, but at the same time, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole concept…" Touma crossed his arms.

"Good; I have no intention of telling you." Was the sullen girl's quick reply.

"C-cold! That's really cold, you know!?" Touma shivered a little.

"Enough banter; we have a job to do." Ryuji stated. "We are here to deal enough damage to Machina Revolution to put an end to their aggressive behavior."

"…Do we have a plan? Surely we're not just going to take them all out one by one… who knows how many of them there are…" Touma commented.

"Of course not; we're dealing with an organization, not just a small group of back-alley hackers." The stoic man stated. "The goal is to isolate and take down their leader, Samson Ainsworth, as well as any notable commanding figures we come across; pounding any of the grunts we come across into the dirt is just a bonus. With their commanding members defeated and their plans halted, the organization will be thrown into disarray and might even collapse… but even if it doesn't, it should force them to bow out of any activity here on EDEN until they can recover."

"I see… so a stealth mission… hopefully I can do well." Touma sighed.

"Just do what we say and you'll be fine." Ryuji replied.

"If you say so…" Touma was stated. The three began to move out at this point, but Touma crossed his arms. "This really does sound like some of the stuff Accelerator would get involved with…"

"…Accelerator?" Erika spoke over the line. "As In Academy City's Accelerator? You know him personally?"

In truth, she actually fully knew that this was indeed the case due to their information collection, but hiding that was considered the best course of action among the members of Hudie. Asking casually was the perfect way to acquire the information she was after without tipping the group's hand.

"…Ah I did just use his name, didn't I…?" Touma sighed. "Well… that's what he goes by anyway… why do you ask?"

"Just heard some interesting rumors online, something about him having to hook up to an outside network due to an injury." Erika asked.

"I mean… I mean he told me a little bit… but I don't know if I should be talking about that kind of thing behind his back… especially since I really don't… know you." Touma crossed his arms.

"…Keisuke, convince him." The sullen girl spoke.

"W-why me!?" Keisuke shouted.

"Because you actually know him on a personal level." Her answer was quick and to the point.

"…That might have worked if I wasn't on the line too, you know…" The unlucky Kamijou rubbed his neck.

"I'm sorry about her… when she gets focused on something, she's hard to stop." Keisuke sighed. "She's rather stubborn…"

"I am not stubborn." Erika argued.

"You stubbornly deny that you are stubborn…" Touma commented.

"I am not stubborn!" The sullen girl continued.

"…You are kind of proving their point, you know." Ryuji chimed in.

"Not you too, Onii-san!" Erika cried out.

"You know… this is giving me the impression that Erika-san is rather cute… I can kind of imagine her shouting at us with a blush across her face." Touma put a hand to his chin as the group walked.

"E-eep… K-K-Kamijou-san, y-you might what to apologize…! Erika is getting rather mad and having vindictive thoughts…!" Wormmon shirked.

"…Spoiling my plans you little-"

"She won't do anything… after all," Touma turned and smiled. "If she does anything, she won't ever find out about Accelerator."

"F-feh!?" Erika made an unusual sound. "Y-you evil little…!"

"That's right~ even the most mild curiosity will forever fester in your head if Kamijou-chan were to suddenly vanish~" Touma smirked. "As long as I have that, I have the advantage…!"

"…Kamijou-san, teasing is as much fun as it sounds, but you might be taking it too far with her…" Keisuke rubbed his head. "You sure you can't say it?"

"…I mean… I guess I can, but I really don't know that much… just what he's mentioned occasionally." Touma stated, apparently warming up to the group enough to divulge the information. "But you didn't hear it from me, ok?"

"Of course; there's no way we'd do something like that." It was actually Ryuji who spoke up this time, apparently gaining interest as they navigated the maze-like server.

"…Well, I don't know the full details," Touma began. "But apparently he was caught off guard at one point while trying to save someone cares about… and took a nasty hit to the head trying to save her. He was actually hospitalized with brain damage because of it." Touma kept the details about Last Order and the fact Accelerator had been shot under wraps; it would only lead to more confusion.

"That sounds… bad…" Keisuke crossed his arms.

"Definitely." Touma replied. "All else I know is that he was outfitted with a custom network that out-sources his calculations due to the brain damage he suffered from the incident." He knew about the Misaka sisters' network as well, but like before, kept it a secret.

"…I see." Erika stated. "…So it is true then…"

"…Erika, are you ok?" Ryuji asked, his normally stoic face changing to display empathy.

"I'm fine, Onii-san." The sullen girl replied. "…Just a little surprised, I suppose… Academy City's medical technology must be really capable…"

"Did… I say something I shouldn't have?" Touma asked.

"No, it's perfectly alright… just a little surreal I suppose." Erika answered. "Let's just say that his condition and mine are a little similar and leave it at that. I don't want to talk about it."

"…I… guess if you say so…?" Touma shrugged again. He was actually curious, but decided it wouldn't be best to force the topic.

However, he suddenly had an idea.

"Actually, hold on; I'm going to try something." Touma opened up his console. "It might be a little easier to make sense of if you meet him."

"…Eh?" Was the collective reaction.

"I just sent him the URL saying to come to the server." Touma nodded to himself. "Just faked saying that I was in a bind and that I needed his help; time to see how he reacts!"

"…Is that really ok?" Keisuke asked.

"I don't have a problem with it; more hands means this will get done easier." Ryuji replied.

"Plus… I don't think there's anything Machina Revolution could do to him other than just piss him off… he gives off that "Final Boss," vibe really hard…" Touma stated.

"If you say so then…" Keisuke shrugged and backed off from the topic.

"The maze is ending soon; I can see that firewall Kamijou described." Erika stated.

"Were you keeping track of us this whole time…?" Touma blinked.

"Of course; the only reason I engaged in conversation is because no other users were around. I have been seeing a few security measures along the lines of cameras and recorders, but I've been hacking them as you went."

"Really…? While talking to us casually? That's… wow…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"Yeah; she's really good at this stuff; she runs as my support a lot of the time." Keisuke stated.

"…You two seem rather close. I'm actually kind of jealous." Touma sighed.

"Define what you mean by close; right now." Erika spoke up sharply.

"Y-you are implying some things, aren't you!?" Keisuke joined in, trying to hide the red on his face.

"…Nope," Touma stated flatly. "I know what trope this is, and I want no part of it."

"Cut the chatter; a few people just appeared in the room ahead. Is this the one with the firewall?" Ryuji asked.

"…Yes, I can confirm the appearance of several people… five to be exact. It appears they caught on to me disabling their security. Prepare for a fight." Erika answered.

Her words were correct in the end. In the very same room where Kamijou Touma first met Calumon, five magi masquerading as hackers stood, waiting patiently for their intrusive guests.

In addition, one of them looked rather familiar; his general's hat was a dead giveaway.

"Yo; who would have thought you'd find your way back here, Imagine Breaker?" Fukutsuwa Hiraku stood with one hand gripping the tip of his hat, a noticeable grin on his face.

"Ugh, not you again…" Touma sighed. "Why are you popping up just about everywhere I go? Are you stalking me or something?"

"H-hey! If you go messing with my associates, of course we're going to run into each other! I'm not some kind one-off villain from a shonen anime that dies off screen, you spiky-haired brat!" Hiraku shouted angrily.

"That's right… you're more like a mid-boss who never acknowledges their level has already been beaten." Touma deadpanned.

"…Thems fighting words, you son of a bitch…!" Hiraku spat, a noticeable vain of anger appearing on his head. His Kuwagamon appeared and flew overhead, racing toward the unlucky Kamijou. Touma put up his guard as his Dorugamon appeared as well, looking more than ready for a fight.

However, there was little fight to be actually had.

"Cyberdramon," Ryuji called out. **"Desolation Claw."**

At his command, a digimon appeared behind the stoic leader of Hudie. It was humanoid, but had the distinct characteristics of a dragon, with clawed hands and an elongated jaw with razor sharp teeth, though the top portion of its head was covered in metal, hiding his eyes. The humanoid dragon appeared to be covered in black metallic armor, and had four worn red wings coming from its back.

The armored dragon's attack was simple; he thrust the palms of his hands forward and unleashed a powerful blast of green energy, blasting Kuwagamon out of the air in a single shot. The bug digimon landed just a small bit behind his human partner with a loud crash.

"K-Kuwagamon!" Hiraku shouted as he saw his partner fall. The remaining magi called forth their own digimon, and in response, Keisuke did the same; his team was largely unchanged except for his Kabuterimon, which had digivolved into a red beetle known as MegaKabuterimon.

"C-crap… Fukutsuwa-san, they have multiple ultimate level digimon! Without a numbers advantage, we don't stand much of a chance!" One of the magi shouted.

"That's right. I don't want to waste time, so how about we wrap this up?" Ryuji crossed his arms as his Cyberdramon roared out, looking ready for a battle.

"…To hell with that." Hiraku replied. "We're standing our ground, you got that?"

"B-but we can't beat them! Even if we use magic, with Imagine Breaker on their side; it's pointless! We don't stand a chance!" One of the magi shouted.

"…Magic?" Ryuji crossed his arms.

"Run on back if you want, but I'm staying right here until the bitter end…!" Hiraku spoke.

"But if you stay here, you'll-"

"If that's what happens, then it's what happens, damn it!" Hiraku shouted. "This is just like with anything else; use struggling and fighting for what we believe in! Not a single damn thing has changed other than what we're fighting against! So what if victory appears impossible? It's always been that way from the very start!"

Hiraku held up one hand as a vortex of air enveloped it.

"Even if the best I can do is slow them down, I'm going to give it everything I got! Do you hear me!? I've been giving my blood, sweat, and tears for this, and I'm not going to surrender it until the day I die! So if you want to fight, bring it! I'll fight every single one of you by myself if I have to!"

It became clear; Hiraku wasn't just some random grunt on the frontline.

He was absolutely devoted to their cabal's cause to the point he'd rather die and give it up.

And his partner, Kuwagamon, responded to that devotion in kind by rising up once again, but that wasn't all that it did.

It began to digivolve.

In mere moments, the red beetle was no more, replaced by something else. In addition to a moderate increase in size, it had two arms ending in claw-like clamps and four legs. It's large pincers on his head grew as well, becoming more imposing, as well as manifesting a second set of wings on its back. It's color turned grey, though numerous red-markings decorated its body all over.

Touma's HUD referred to the digimon in question as Okuwamon, an Ultimate-level Digimon.

"So, what say you!?" Hiraku looked towards the magi around him. "Do you want to run away? Or stand and fight!?" He gripped the tip of his hat confidently and grinned wide.

The effect of his speech was obvious. The men and women who previously looked ready to run for this lives suddenly began to grin with the general's hat male.

"…He's right, isn't he?" One of the spoke.

"This is just another day of the week for us! Let's take them down!" A woman shouted.

"Well… their moral just went through the roof…" Touma commented.

"Plan is unchanged." Ryuji stated. "Leave the big one to me; wipe the floor with the rest of them!"

Therefore, the battle commenced without delay. The magi each had only one digimon, amounting to five, and Ryuji and Touma only used one as well, but Keisuke had three on his side, matching their numbers.

The clash of interest however was between Cyberdramon and Okuwamon. The two were actually rather even in terms of strength, though Cyberdramon had the advantage of a ranged attack. To avoid being blasted out of the sky, the large insect as forced into close-range combat.

"Okuwamon, **Double Scissor Claw!"** Hiraku shouted.

"Cyberdramon, **Cyber Nail!"** Ryuji ordered.

The two attacked clashed violently, Okuwamon using its long pincers to try to crush Cyberdramon, while the humanoid cyber dragon dug his razor-sharp claws into the large insect's body. The two fought for some time, exchanging blow for blow.

However, for the briefest of instances, Okuwamon appeared to have the advantage after a sudden strike caught Cyberdramon off guard.

"Tch…! Don't give up now!" Ryuji called out. On the other side, Hiraku began to laugh.

"Hahahaha! Take that! Okuwamon! Finish him off quickly!" The wind mage called out.

"Amazawa-san… Ryuji is in a tough spot…!" Touma stated.

"I know, but we're busy ourselves! I'm almost finished up, but I won't make it in time!" Keisuke replied.

"Same here… shit…!" Touma cursed; his Dorugamon was winning but not fast enough to intervene. Okuwamon flew around and began to charge down, baring its massive pincers, while Cyberdramon prepared another Desolation Claw attack. It could be an exchange that would settle the fight.

But it never came.

A massive yellow blast of energy flew from the corridor that the group had traveled from, slamming right into Okuwamon. The blow was powerful enough to launch Okuwamon across the circular room and slam right into a wall, collapsing shortly after.

The attack came so suddenly, it actually took Hiraku a moment to fully realize he had been defeated yet again.

"W-who the hell did that!? Get your ass out here right now!" The wind mage shouted. To answer his demand, loud metallic footsteps came forward.

It appeared to be a massive cybernetic tyrannosaurus rex. Red and black in color, it gave off the distinct look that its entire metal body was rusting, but the metallic dinosaur had no problems moving, despite it. Several glass objects were visible, emitting pale green and blue lights, the largest one on its chest. Its most notable feature however, was the large cannon on its back.

The name attached to it was RustTyranomon.

In addition, there was a certain someone walking just in front of the metallic behemoth; a teenager with white hair, pale skin, and dark red eyes.

"A-Accelerator…!?" Touma stuttered out. Accelerator's reply was simple.

"Yo. This better be good, fucking hero."

* * *

 **And so Accelerator has arrived once more! And Accelerator has three digimon now!? Seems like he took a shine to raising these digital creatures, huh?**

 **And next time... we see into the heart of Machina Revolution!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	7. Path to Paradise

**Welcome back once more, my friends. Is till have to say; I am thoroughly surprised by the positive reception this story has received. It tickles me that so many people could enjoy something I would considering particularly niche in nature.**

 **That said, let's tackle some reviews! There wasn't that many this time around, so it should be a quick round!**

 _wolfking:_ The Cabal's goal is actually what shall be discussed here. As if the leader of Zaxon would stiff someone on a paycheck! And I'm not commenting on appearing/not appearing characters at this time.

 _Mr. X:_ I noticed this before, but you are a rather big fan of Touma claiming literally any/every girl he encounters, huh? No disrespect intended, it just seems curious; most people, even Harem-route supporters, are at least a little picky about who the unlucky Kamijou winds up with.

 _whwsms:_ Could also splash "Professional Home Cook" onto his repertoire too; apparently he is very skilled at cooking. He cooks, cleans, shops, his status as an esper (even a level zero) supplies income as well as a home to live in... Hell, maybe the person with true wife potential in To Aru might actually be Touma himself!? Well... there's still Itsuwa at least! Accelerator drops by to have fun... he tells other while being tsun-tsun and unable to admit he came to help someone he considers a friend. Let's just say that a certain someone in charge of Academy City is very aware of what's going on... heheheh...

 _Guest (1):_ Touma's though process in calling upon Accelerator and the results of that... are actually being discussed here. Hopefully it'll be entertaining!

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Voluntary due to promises of money before noticing eh was being conned... far for the course, wouldn't you say? Yeah... this one was more of a build up to this one, I will admit. Have to pace things accordingly. Glad your enjoying how all these puzzle pieces are fitting together!

 _WilliamZ0:_ Yuugo sure does know how to pick them, huh? Yeah; I'm trying my best to make sure things sync up well with the game timeline, which I can infer takes places over the course of at least several weeks or at most several months. With plenty of moments where we don't know what happened in-between some scenes, I'm trying to take advantage of those timeline gaps to put stuff into. As for when Dorugamon will digivolve next... I'm going to keep my lips sealed... but we'll be seeing another Ultimate level digimon this chapter... a fun one I don't see used in a lot of Digimon media. Sorry of the last one seemed a little dull... hopefully this one helps that issue!

 **With that done... enjoy!**

* * *

"A-Accelerator!? You really showed up!?" Touma stuttered out.

"…So you sent that bullshit to me with the idea that I wouldn't come to help you out? You're pissing me off, fucking hero." Accelerator spat.

The sudden appearance of the number one esper was disruptive to say the least, and the fact his appearance involved annihilating Hiraku's lone digimon in a single attack only made the surprise worse.

The side of Machina Revolution was stunned. In fact, they only snapped out of it when they discovered that Keisuke had made use of the event to make quick work of their respective digimon with the shock serving as a convenient distraction.

"S-shit! They got us!" One of the magi shouted.

"This is bad…!" Another spoke.

"…Not bad, Keisuke." Ryuji commented. The newbie hacker could only laugh and rub his head, not expecting praise.

"…I have to ask…Erika-san, did you know he was coming…?" Touma spoke.

"I did; his user ID matched the one you sent a message to, so I decided to leave it as a surprise." The sullen girl replied.

"E-even my private messages have been infiltrated…!?" Touma cursed.

"You've got to be kidding me… what kind of shitty luck is this…!?" Hiraku spat.

"That's it; this fight is over." Ryuji stated. "What do you have to say now? You were really hyped up before." The stoic male turned his attention over to the wind mage.

"…Rubbing it in now huh…?" Hiraku spoke. "…Well the joke's on you…! I said I'd fight until the end, even if I had to take you all on myself… and that's exactly what I intend to do!"

A burst of air came from Hiraku's feet and he was launched himself like a cannonball. He wasn't going to go quietly, and made that clear by propelling himself toward the group, ignoring their digimon entirely.

Unfortunately, he picked the wrong target to attempt to take by surprise. When his charge ended, he was right in front of Accelerator with a whirlwind wrapped around a chambered fist.

Accelerator's reaction was simple.

"…What a waste of time."

He spoke those words as Hiraku threw his punch, only to have the whirlwind around it suddenly dispelled and have it come flying back into his face, the fist reflected perfectly.

"Pbfeh!?" Hiraku was launched by the impact, spinning in the air with his limbs flopping around aimlessly, before landing hard on his side in the middle of the circular area.

"…That's right, esper abilities work in EDEN." Touma blinked.

"I demand an explanation before I send you flying like him." Accelerator replied.

"S-shit… the boss is down in one shot, just like his digimon…!" One of the magi spoke. "Even if we could fight them with magic, that kid just took out Hiraku and his magic without moving once…! I think it's safe to say we're doomed here…!"

"M-maybe we can throw up a diversion and grab him and run behind the firewall…!?" Another one stated. A low growl behind them however answered that question.

As Ryuji's Cyberdramon suddenly appeared right behind them, with the look very close to a grin across his face.

 **-10 Minutes Later-**

"…So what you're saying is… you fucking lied to me?" Accelerator spat.

"I-I get it, n-now stop glaring at me!" Touma shouted. The explanation didn't take long, but Accelerator became clearly irritated when the real reason he was called out was revealed. "H-honestly… I expected you to say, "Fuck off," or something if I tried to get your attention normally… but I figured that if I faked being in trouble it might increase my chances of getting you to show up… and even then I really doubted it…"

"And what makes you say that?" The number one looked less than amused.

"It's because you're… em… y-you're…" Touma trailed off as Accelerator's glare intensified. "…Y-you're right, I'm in the wrong… should have told the truth…"

"…Well, you're not wrong; I wouldn't have shown up otherwise."

"S-so my assumption was right from the start!?" Touma shouted.

"Hey, keep it down; we're trying to interrogate someone here." Ryuji called out. He then turned his attention back to his captive… Fukutsuwa Hiraku.

His allies had their accounts deleted, and they went the extra mile above and damaged the programming of their respective Digivices to render them inoperable.

Making a new account after a deletion was not hard, but it was time consuming… even more so with a broken Digivice. In a situation like that, they would have to buy another just to warn their allies of the incoming danger, and that's assuming they memorized their associate's usernames.

The possibility of any of them being in the same building as their peers however was also a possibility, but this was simply the best they could do without physically assaulting them, which was currently impossible.

"Interrogate all you want; I'm not telling you shit." Hiraku stated. He spoke boldly, but he was tied up on the ground and incapable of moving. Even his feet were bound, so his only method of escape would be to crawl like a worm.

Not that Ryuji had any intention of letting him try it.

"…Could drop him high up enough the ground that it hurts like hell but doesn't destroy his avatar." Accelerator recommended.

"Erika already suggested that." Keisuke stated.

"You don't say…?" The number one replied. "Hey hero; who the hell was the one who wanted to know about me?"

"…That would be Erika." Touma replied. "I guess I could add you to the voice chat… just wish I knew how…"

"I already did a long time ago." Erika suddenly spoke.

"F-feh… shown up again…!" Touma cried out.

"Not that hard to do." Accelerator added.

"You stay out of this!" Touma shouted.

"So; what did you need me for?" The number one turned his attention to the groups absent observer.

"I didn't; I just wanted to confirm rumors about your head injury, and Kamijou thought it might make more sense to see you in person is all." The sullen girl stated.

"…So it was his idea in the end after all." Accelerator concluded.

"I-I do not appreciate being tag-teamed like this!" Touma shouted and then began to sulk. "Such misfortune…"

"It's your fucking fault; you reap what you sow." Accelerator replied.

"I know! That's what makes it hurt more! I was just trying to be helpful, damn it!" Touma cried out.

"…Well, you got the stuff you wanted, right?" Accelerator asked.

"More or less. I can get the reading that you are connected to some kind of outside network from here, but I can't interface with it… that covers everything I needed to know." Erika answered quickly. "Everything else I can infer from what I have heard about you."

"…That so?" Accelerator stated. "So you don't need me anymore then?"

"Yeah, sorry again about dragging you out here." Touma replied. "You can head back if you need to. Thanks for picking us up out of that tight spot though…"

Accelerator paused for a moment, seemingly thinking it over.

"…I'll stay." The number one crossed his arms. "I don't want to try and take a nap only to get woken by you crying about, "I need help! For real this time!" so I'll stick with this for a bit."

"C-come on… I wouldn't do something like that…" The unlucky Kamijou rubbed his neck nervously.

"Exactly; you wouldn't. You never ask for help even if you're about to fucking die; that's why I hauled my ass out here… because I fucking figured that if shit was bad enough for you to willingly ask for help, let alone ME of all people, that it must have been really shitty." Accelerator spat.

"I-I get it! You don't have to keep guilt-tripping me!" Touma replied.

"I'll be holding this over your god damn head for a while; reflect on your actions you piece of shit." Accelerator added.

"…Accelerator-san is… not who I expected when I first heard about him…" Keisuke stated.

"You can tell those two are close friends, though they might not act like it on the surface." Ryuji stated. "I get the distinct vibe that he wouldn't do something like this for someone he didn't at least somewhat care about… they must have been through a lot together."

"Think so?" Keisuke crossed his arms.

"Trust me; that's how it is." Ryuji smiled lightly.

"Any luck with pulling information from the loud captive?" Erika spoke over the voice chat.

"No dice; this guy is a dry well. We won't be getting anything out of him." Ryuji replied.

"Damn straight! As if I'd sell out my comrades! You'd have better luck trying to knock a meteor back into space by punching it!" Hiraku proudly proclaimed.

"…Well then, that makes him expendable." Erika stated.

"More or less; expendable it is." Ryuji nodded in agreement. Hiraku couldn't hear Erika, but he could understand Ryuji clear as day, and his face promptly stiffened.

"G-g-go ahead! Kill me! I still won't talk! Y-you'd just be killing off your only source of information! That I will not give away under any circumstances!" The wind mage shouted.

"…You're trying to stop us from getting rid of you, yet reaffirming we have no reason to keep you around…" Keisuke sighed. "You're bad at this, aren't you?"

"Listen here you little-" Hiraku began to shout, but paused midsentence.

Because a certain someone grabbed ahold of his head.

"Expendable? Hardly… after all," Accelerator began to grin. "He could make the most wonderful meat shield…!"

"M-m-meat shield!?" Hiraku sputtered. "How dare you! I am Fukutsuwa Hiraku, of Machina-"

"Do you intend to tell us anything of value?" The number one interrupted.

"Of course not! Didn't you hear me!? I won't tell you a god damn-"

"Meat shield it is then." Accelerator grabbed the wind mage by his bindings and heaved him over his shoulder, despite Hiraku's repeated cries to put him down.

"…Are we going to let him do that?" Keisuke asked.

"…Do you want to try and stop him?" Touma asked flatly.

"Well… no…" The Hudie Hacker rubbed the back of his head.

"We should get moving." Ryuji commented. "We did what we could to stop the hackers we defeated from sending a report, but there is a possibility of one of them being next to another member physically outside of EDEN. We should move assuming they know we're coming. Erika; how is that firewall?"

"Already down; Wormmon disposed of it." Erika stated.

"Hehe… it was easy…" Wormmon was suddenly on Keisuke again, but this time he was on the Hudie Hacker's shoulder.

"You shocked yourself forty-two times; I kept track." Erika stated.

"D-don't tell them that! I was trying to sound cool…!" Wormmon cried out.

"Well… let's stop wasting time and move… who knows what Machina Revolution is up to deeper in the server." Touma suggested.

With little else to keep them, the group began to move deeper into the heart of Machina Revolution's private server. It appeared that Hiraku and his crew were the only members that were dispatched to deal with the group's intrusion, so aside from a few traps here and there, the trip was mostly uneventful.

Aside from Hiraku generally being loud and obnoxious of course. It was clear that he had little intention of allowing them to use him either as a shield or as a guide, and constantly struggled and fed them wrong information the entire way.

At least until Accelerator got fed-up with him, broke off a piece of the server and stuffed it into his mouth to silence him.

They eventually came to a large circular area, much like the previous room, but this time there was no exit. It was clear that it was the last room in the depths of the server, and the fact it was rather largely populated by people made it clear that this was where they needed to be.

"Alright, so we're here… what do we do now?" Touma asked.

"Hide yourselves and try to blend in. I doubt you'd do well if you just marched in and fought them all at once." Erika said.

"…Speak for yourself." Accelerator replied.

"True; after what we saw, he could probably do it…" Ryuji began. "…But even if we won, we'd get nothing out of it. Hackers can always make new accounts even if we manage to perform a surprise mass delete. To fully squash them, we need to find out what exactly they are trying to do so we can properly counter them. Taking down their leader will demoralize them, but the idea of us being fully aware of their plans and able to defeat them at any turn will crush them entirely. Bonus points if we can halt their whole plan at the same time."

"…Not bad; you done jobs like this before?" Accelerator asked.

"Been a hacker here on EDEN even before digimon became a thing; I've run jobs like this more times than I can count." Ryuji answered. "Turf wars were a thing back then, and they are a thing now; the only difference is the tools we use to fight each other."

"…Alright then old man, I'll let you call the shots. Let's see what an old hacker can do." Accelerator commented. Ryuji smiled for a brief moment.

"Keisuke; we'll be using transparency. Show Accelerator how to do it and… well…" The stoic leader trailed off. "…Think you can just do it for Kamijou? I feel like trying to teach him would be a waste of time…"

"Yes, yes. Kamijou-chan can't hack for shit, ha-ha…" Touma groaned.

"You're wasting your time; the moment they find you, they'll- ow! D-did you just hit me in the back of the knee!?" Hiraku, who was still being hoisted over Accelerator's shoulder, shouted loud. The group was lucky that they decided to hang back so far; otherwise, the enemy more than likely would have heard the brash mage.

"You know, I thought we had the understanding that you'd behave yourself when you spat out that chunk of garbage data… but maybe I need to tear out your tongue instead…" Accelerator replied. Hiraku, not wanting to know if it was possible to remove the human tongue in cyber space, immediately slammed his mouth shut.

"…Old habits die hard I see." Touma stated. "Well, I guess we'll be stepping into the last stage of this soon… you ready?"

"No reason not to be; the chances of these fucks being able to do anything to me is right around zero." Accelerator replied. "…Fair warning though; I can't use the wings here in EDEN."

"The wings…?" Touma replied with a puzzled expression. "…Any reason why?"

"Only manifests on me physically, not on my avatar… I don't think EDEN has the processing power to deal with them. If I tried to force it, I'd probably fucking crash the whole service." Accelerator replied. What he was referring to were a set of angelic wings that Accelerator could manifest at will, which on top of a boost of power, would allow him to alter vectors at a distance rather than intimately close to his body.

"…How about your network connection? Is everything good on that front?" Touma asked.

"Should be fine; it's incompatible with EDEN so chances of it being hacked somehow isn't even a factor. No one is going to be dicking with my ability with it anytime soon." The number one replied. "We done? The sooner we make these fucks question life, the better."

"Sorry about that… hey Amazawa-san, we're ready whenever you are." Touma stated.

"Got it, Kamijou-san. I'll set everything up as fast as I can." Keisuke began to work with his console. After everything was set-up, the group weaved through the crowd of people to approach the center. There, the goal of their mission was on full display.

Samson Ainsworth. He stood in place, supervising his subordinates as they worked.

The magicians' tasks appeared to be two-fold. One: prepare a magic circle and two: cart digimon into the circle. The unusual part however was with the digimon themselves; each one appeared to be gravely injured, missing pieces of their bodies in some cases.

The names of the respective digimon were as follows: Kabuterimon, Greymon, Angemon, Airdramon, Devimon, Kuwagamon, and Monochromon. There were even two ultimate levels in the mix: BlackMetalGreymon and SkullGreymon.

The last one being carried in was a Garurumon; the very same one from the previous day.

"…Just what are they trying to do here?" Touma whispered. Before anyone could answer however, Samson began to speak.

"My brethren… my friends; I know we all share a single goal, but I feel that I must humbly thank you all for your service regardless. Without any of you, none of what we are about to achieve would be possible." The leader spoke, walking outside of the circle as the magi finished their work.

When the circle finished, it began to glow.

"Our wish is a simple one; a seemingly endless quest for true paradise. One where all can be content and exist in a world without despair. But the state of the world is a fickle one… here and now, the world is such that in order to make any kind of reasonable change, one must have insurmountable amounts of power… but today, we make our first step to acquire that power we so desperately need."

Samson held out his hands toward the circle as it began to glow brighter. Those few magi still in the circle backed out at this point, ready to see their work pay off.

"We all have sacrificed so much for this day, and today will not be the last. But this is our first step towards a world were all sacrifices will end!"

A bright light enveloped the circle, as well as the digimon contained within. It lasted for about a minute, but what appeared when the light faded away was truly terrifying.

It was like all the digimon in the circle had been patched together. It had the head of Kabuterimon, the eyes and hair of BlackMetalGreymon, and the body and lower jaw of Greymon. Four wings were on its back with two from Airdramon and two from Angemon. The monstrosity had four arms, the top two belonged to Devimon, while the lower left arm belonged to Kuwagamon and the lower right arm belonged to SkullGreymon. To finish it off, it had the legs of Garurumon, and the tail of Monochromon.

The beast roared loudly, but did not lash out against anyone particular. Though the act performed was indeed a forced digivolution with the merger, it appeared that Machina Revolution had finally figured out how to do it without sending the digimon into a frenzy.

"This is our first step; our creation! Kimeramon!" Samson announced. "Ones so broken to pieces by this horrid and broken world have formed together once more; patching each other up along the way, and have become stronger than any of them ever could be individually! Lives formerly doomed to vanish have banded together to fight against the state of the world! However, this not the end for them; it is a new beginning! As we grow and evolve, so will he, until there will be no one who can stop us! This is simply the beginning as the brave and noble souls guide us to the path to forging Paradise!"

Though there were some confused whispers within the crowd at first, by the end the magi were more than impressed, cheering loudly in celebration.

"…So these guys are just a bunch of fucking loons then… fun." Accelerator spat.

"I've heard stuff like this before… are all cabals like this?" Touma sighed.

"Well, it seems the "key" to their plans is that digimon they forced together… delete that and all their plans go up in smoke." Ryuji stated. "We ready?"

"Been ready." Accelerator grinned lightly. However, as he began to move, the load he was carrying suddenly became much lighter.

Hiraku had broken free from his binds and shot up into the air with little warning. Judging from how he did it, he could have broken free at any time.

In other words, he was staying with them so we could potentially ruin their plans.

"Hey! Everyone! We have intruders!" Hiraku then launched a blast of wind straight down towards the group. Though Touma was able to deal with it rather easily, the true purpose of the attack wasn't to do damage.

Its goal was to reveal them, which the sudden torrent of wind most certainly did as their transparency suddenly vanished.

"Shit…!" Ryuji cursed, calling his Cyberdramon to his side.

"Ah… I see that we have guests today." Samson smiled lightly as he turned to face the group. "Titamon, our new associate is still very fresh; please tend to our unexpected company in the usual manner in his stead, won't you?"

At his word, the massive Titamon appeared, brandishing its large bone sword and turning towards the group.

"And that goes for the rest of you too; don't want to look inhospitable, now do we?" Samson added. Just like before, the respective magi began to call out their digimon as well.

"We're more than a tad bit outnumbered here…" Keisuke commented as his partners manifested around him.

"Might be time for our secret weapon then?" Ryuji commented. In response, Accelerator clicked his teeth.

"Well, I suppose the stealth portion is over now huh…?" The number one tilted his head to the side, popping it in the process. As he did so, his Dracmon suddenly appeared, hanging off his shoulder.

"H-hold on there boss, you don't intend to challenge a Titamon, do you!?" The little vampire asked.

"…Hey, another talking digimon… friend of yours?" Keisuke looked over his shoulder at Wormmon.

"I-I don't know him…" The little bug digimon replied in a worried tone, clearly concerned about the hostile environment they were in.

"What's so special about him? All I see is a green giant about to get his shit pushed in." Accelerator didn't sound amused.

"But he's Titamon! One of the arch enemies of the Olympus Twelve! One of the big baddies that terrorize the digital world!" Dracmon stated.

"…That so?" Accelerator smiled briefly. Not long after, his two other digimon, Darkdramon and RustTyranomon, appeared behind him. "Then sit back and watch… I'll show you what real strength looks like!" The two mega levels then began to attack, but not Samson's Titamon.

Accelerator himself charged ahead as his Dracmon leapt off his master's shoulder out of fear, and engaged the green titan head on. Titamon swung its blade down, but just as it made contact with the number one's body, the sword was shot straight back and the force sent the behemoth flying cross the area, smashing into the wall.

However, Titamon was far from finished, quickly moving to challenge Accelerator yet again. From here, chaos ran rampant as Accelerator's digimon went on a rampage, providing cover for the group.

The members of Hudie made their way for the exit, assuming that since they were discovered, the mission was impossible. During this, Hiraku flew down into the crowd and made his way toward the back, pulling a few magi aside as he did so.

"H-hey, what's the big idea!?" One of the magi shouted. "You can see what's going on! We need to get out there and fight!"

However, Hiraku shook his head.

"Yeah, but fighting isn't going to do shit unless we can take down those mega digimon… and to do that, we at least need one of our own. The boss' Titamon would work, but he's busy dealing with that white-haired guy." He said. "That's why I lifted you guys off; my usual crew got ejected from the server and can't come back, but you guys I remember being good with hacking… not ideal, but we don't exactly have time to be picky about it."

"So… you want to take down the guy who's turning Titamon into a ragdoll? Are you nuts!?" Another mage shouted. However, Hiraku began to smirk.

"I happened to hear something fun while I was captive," The wind mage began. "Turns out, that guy is getting his power from an outside network. Supposedly it's not compatible with EDEN, but I say we give it a ballsy shot anyway and see what the hell happens!"

"Think… that could work?" The first mage asked.

"One way to find out. You guy's are better with the technical stuff than I am. First, let's see if we can find the damn thing. With all the chaos right now, I doubt anyone will notice." Hiraku ordered.

The small band of magi glanced back at the chaos unfolding before them before nodding in agreement, opening up their console and beginning to type away.

"Lot of stuff to sift through…" One spoke up. "…Hold up, I found something."

"What do you got?" Hiraku asked.

"Got a network set-up… can't tell what tis connected to but… holy shit; it's just a mass of ones and zeroes... I can make heads or tails of this…"

Something along those lines was exactly what Hiraku wanted to hear, however. He might have been playing the fool for most of his captivity, but he heard something very important.

The network Accelerator was connected to was incompatible with EDEN; a nonsensical mass of binary code definitely felt like how it'd look if that was the case.

"Alright; don't worry about editing the code; all I want you to do is cut the line to the network off." Hiraku stated. "Do that, and I think we'll see something magical." He stated with a smirk.

During this, Accelerator was still engaged in combat with the mighty Titamon. With his ability, knocking around the green giant was rather easy, but each time the monster went down, he got right back up, angrier than ever.

Even if Titamon couldn't hurt Accelerator at all, his endurance was nothing to laugh at. If the situation at hand were to be constrained to the thirty-minute timer on his battery in the real world, Titamon might actually have been able to stall it out with stamina and tenacity alone.

However, something happened. Accelerator's mind suddenly grew hazy as he lost his balance. The sensation was very similar to those few instances where his battery did run out and he was cut off from the Misaka Network entirely.

"What… the hell…!?" The number one could barely speak. He cursed; someone must have been able to get into the Misaka Network somehow. Though the network would reconnect to him as soon as possible, how long that would take to reestablish a connection was unknown; no one had been directly able to sever it before.

All Titamon saw however was that his opponent had suddenly lost his footing, and the warrior he was intended to capitalize on it. He hoisted his massive blade over his head and swung it down.

The blade was suddenly deflected when Darkdramon slammed its lance into the side of it full force; the dark digimon likely noticed its partner's sudden loss and went to support him. Darkdramon spun after the impact, slamming its tail into Titamon's head, sending him back.

The green giant was far from finished however, and quickly raced to engage Darkdramon directly.

"Yes! That's the result I was going for!" Hiraku shouted. "If one mega is preoccupied, we can overwhelm the other with sheer numbers alone! Not to mention wreaking that little shitheads face!"

"We got a problem; the network is back. I'm severing it whenever I can but it's reconnecting faster and faster." The hacking magi stated.

"That's fine; share around the network; with everyone on duty we can intercept it at will." Hiraku grinned. "Come on; let's take these punks down!"

"Sorry; I can't let you keep doing that to the boss."

The voice came from Hiraku… to be particular, his shoulder. Only now did he notice an odd weight on his cloak.

Accelerator's Dracmon was hanging off Hiraku's cloak.

"…What the fu-"

" **Undead Fang."** Dracmon suddenly bit down on Hiraku's neck.

"GUUUUAAAAAHHHH!?" The wind mage reached for Dracmon's head to pry him off, but to no avail. "G-get him off! GET HIM OFF!"

"W-what do you want us to do!?"

"I don't know; blast him or something! It really huuuuurrrrttttsss!" Hiraku danced around, trying anything he could; the pain was so intense he couldn't concentrate enough on his magic to do so himself. Eventually, one of the magi was able to get a clean shot off and struck the little vampire digimon, sending him flying into a wall.

"G-guh… oww…" Dracmon rubbed his head.

"Damn straight it hurts! How do you think I feel you brat!?" Hiraku spat.

"Well duh; if it didn't hurt there wouldn't be much of a point!" Dracmon shot back. "You're just lucky the boss frowns upon the whole "dominating people's soul" thing, otherwise I'd have you guys dancing in the palm of my hand!"

"You little… you know what happens to you now, right!?" Hiraku shouted again as whirlwinds began to envelop his arms.

"…Yeah, I do." Despite his apparent acceptance of fate, Dracmon began to snicker.

"Oh Yeah? What's so funny!?"

"The dancing around you did with me hanging off of you got ahold of the big guy's attention." Dracmon answered in a rather happy tone. The wind mage began to retort before a loud metal slam was heard. The sound wasn't unusual due to all of the fighting, but how close it appeared to be however was.

Hiraku slowly turned around to find RustTyranomon standing right behind the group of magi, the distinct breath of rust emanating from its large maw.

"…Oh no…" Was all Hiraku could say as RustTyranomon's rampage began anew, this time by decimating Hiraku and his men.

In addition, without anyone else to disrupt it, the Misaka Network came back online without a hitch. Accelerator clicked his teeth upon fully realizing that he was back to normal. His gaze turned to his partner, Darkdramon, as it fought the mighty Titamon.

"…That's it; these pieces of shit crossed the line. I'm ending this now!" He spat before suddenly shooting off towards the clash of the two mega level digimon.

During this, the two Hudie Hackers and the unlucky Kamijou were slowly fighting their way through the crowd with their digimon on hand. With RustTyranomon back on the rampage, it appeared that they finally had the break they needed to escape and made for the exit.

However, much to the two Hudie hacker's surprise, Touma broke off from them and ran towards the middle of the room instead… straight towards Samson.

Kimeramon appeared to be docile at the time and made no moves to get involved with the ongoing conflict, nor to attack the approaching Kamijou. His Dorugamon let out a low growl, but otherwise stayed by Touma's side, not opting to attack either Kimeramon or the Cabal Boss before them.

"…Oh? Seeking me out personally?" The cabal boss spoke. "I must say… you've gone to great lengths to meet with me again… what is it that you need from me?"

"Answers," Touma answered briefly. "What does a magic cabal want with EDEN? Attacking people… making monsters like this… just what the hell are you doing?"

"Crafting this "monster" as you call it was the only way left to save them." Samson replied. "It was either that or leave them to die, so we saved them. As for our aggressive actions… we do not perform these acts for our own joy; quite the opposite. In truth, we have no interest in harming or taking lives, digital or real, but it is simply the only path we have ahead. One must do what one hates to proceed in this trial known as life."

"Don't tell me this entire set up is the whole "The ends justify the means," argument? Hurting people because you think in the end it will all work out?" Touma glared, not liking the way the conversation was going.

"Of course; you speak as if we are harming them in the real world. Everything here is just accounts and data; even if I cut one in half they would be perfectly fine outside of EDEN. Of course I understand that some people are tied heavily to those accounts for business, but that is a small price to pay on the path to paradise, is it not?"

"What the hell does that even mean!?" Touma shouted.

"It means we intend to make a perfect world." Samson replied. "This one is rotting away with rampant sin and suffering amongst its people; countries war and oppress their people, capitalism and greed rules the world… everyone is simply existing, rather than enjoying their limited time here on earth… I intend to change that. I will create a paradise for all to enjoy… I will save them from themselves! Is saving lives not praiseworthy?"

"You…! You're just forcing your viewpoint down on everyone!" Touma shouted.

"It must be difficult to perceive… isn't it? Surely, your life is far from perfect, correct? If rumors are true, the life of the Imagine Breaker must truly be nothing but suffering, day after day without remorse." Samson answered.

Touma bit his lip as the cabal boss continued.

"There are many cases like yours… some better and worse, but cases nonetheless. And here… right here in EDEN… is the key to fixing all of that… allow me to show you the power of our determination!"

Just then, Kimeramon roared out again loudly, turning its attention to the unlucky Kamijou, clawing at him with the longer Devimon hands it possessed. Touma was only able to avoid the attack simply because he was just narrowly out of the monstrosity's reach and managed to jump back just in time. Dorugamon did the same, though with much more distance made due to his much stronger legs.

"Y-you've got to be kidding me…!" Touma grit his teeth.

"Of course; his natural weakness is Imagine Breaker; one casual touch and the digivolution will be negated." Samson called out. "But if you do so, it will revert all of the digimon to their prior state… you'll be dooming them to die in their horribly crippled bodies. Can you do that?"

Kimeramon reached for Touma again, and this time the spiky-haired teen jumped back rather than casually back stepping. He hesitated for a moment, as his natural response to the current situation would be to defuse his opponent by negating the magic holding Kimeramon together.

However, it was what Samson said that made his resolve falter. Imagine Breaker would negate the fusion, but without that, the digimon that currently formed Kimeramon would surely die in their fatally damaged states.

Would it be a mercy? Of course it would be; the creature before him was truly a manufactured monstrosity against the natural order, even amongst digimon, and the fact it would be serving a cabal boss made that fact worse.

But to save them, he would have to kill them. It would indeed save them from the pain of their existence but to openly and knowing end another living beings life…

…Was simply something Kamijou Touma could not bring himself to do. He was a person who never condoned killing unless it was absolutely necessary, and even then, the thought of causing death made a knot in his stomach.

There were hackers that thought of digimon as just programs, but after interacting with his own so frequently, it became clear that they were far from that. They were digital, but they were fully alive and intelligent.

Even to save his own life, he couldn't take theirs.

However, Kimeramon did not act on the same line of logic. He reached out and clawed at the unlucky Kamijou several times, ultimately trying to crash him with the palm of one of its hands.

But when the monster did so, it began to howl in pain; Dorugamon had ran around while the monster was busy attempting to attack the unlucky Kamijou and bit one of the monsters hands. Kimeramon screeched as the smaller digimon clung to the massive monster's hand, only letting go when Kimeramon reached for him, and retaliated by firing off an iron ball into the side of the behemoth's head.

Kimeramon was less than amused however, roaring out and batting the beast digimon with the back of its hand, sending Dorugamon flying into a wall.

The difference in power was very clear, but Dorugamon stood back up to fight yet again regardless. Kimeramon wasn't interested in a fight however, and made that abundantly clear as energy began to gather in the palms of all four hands, taking aim for the beast digimon.

Just as the attack would fire however, the other monstrosity in the room, Titamon, crashed into it, making the attack to misfire and strike the walls, causing rather large explosions on contact and scattering those who were around it.

"Big guy is tough… but I'm not exactly the kind of fucker you can just roll over with raw strength, you piece of shit." Accelerator spat.

"You…" Samson frowned. "I don't take kindly to you roughing up my companion… nor tossing him into my creation, either."

"Then do something about it you piece of shit." Accelerator grinned. Samson's eyes narrowed as he appeared ready to join the fight himself, one of his arms beginning to emit a pink glow.

However, it was Kimeramon who attacked first. The monstrosity pushed off the fallen Titamon and opened up its mouth wide; a large blast of energy erupted from the creature's maw, flight right toward the number one esper.

Accelerator however batted the attack away, knocking it toward Samson. The cabal boss began to show mild irritation as he moved to dodge the attack. Titamon once more rose up and let out a mighty shout before charging at Accelerator for a second round.

A beam of electricity however halted its advance as it crashed into his chest with enough force to send the mighty titan flying. Kimeramon turned to find RustTyranomon shifting its attention from the magi and focusing on them, charging straight toward the monstrosity. Their arms smashed into each other, with Kimeramon being able to hold off the mega level machine surprisingly well, even managing to push the metal dinosaur back.

However, the assault wasn't over as Darkdramon came from above, stabbing the large lance-like weapon attached to his right arm into the monster's back.

Touma froze in place; that move didn't look like one meant to subdue.

"Accelerator! What the hell are you doing!?" He shouted.

"Something you're too fucking scared to do." Accelerator spat. "Darkdramon! **Dark Roar!"**

Darkdramon's lance began to glow a distinct purple, especially near the tip. Kimeramon roared out, pushing back against RustTyranomon but to no avail. Its remaining arms couldn't reach behind itself, and the flapping of the monster's wings did little to discourage the armored dragon, much less stop the attack.

After a moment, a large purple beam erupted from the lance, tearing through Kimeramon's body, leaving a gaping hole in the monstrosity's torso. Darkdramon leapt off its back and RustTyranomon stepped back, and the manufactured digimon slumped to the server floor, its limbs limp.

"Kimeramon! NO!" Samson shouted. He began to run after to the battlefield, but a piece of the server flew towards him, slamming into the ground in front of him.

Accelerator was grinning at him, standing in his triumph. The cabal boss turned to his Kimeramon, only to see the beast's body begin to dissolve into pure data before vanishing completely. His creation had been killed and was forever lost.

Samson's next act was swift.

He lifted up his glowing left arm, and used it to cut off his right. The surprise caused by this sudden self-mutilation couldn't even escape Accelerator's normally calm face. However, the act itself wasn't the only reason for that.

Despite Samson's body being just an EDEN Avatar, blood began to gush from the wound.

"What the hell…?" The number one spat.

"Don't think for a second… that I'll let you get away with this!" Samson aimed his stump of an arm towards Accelerator. The removed arm suddenly turned a bright pink and shot back up to the stub, before transforming into a large blast of energy, racing toward the number one.

It appeared to be that the cabal boss was finally showing off his own magic.

"Sacrifice is how one proceeds in life… whether they sacrifice their food, their money, their time… or their body! The sacrifices I make will lead to grand miracles that none of you could even comprehend!" The blast continued on its path towards Accelerator, who simply frowned.

As the attack would reach its target, Kamijou Touma stepped in the way with his right hand outstretched. Imagine Breaker did its work and blocked the attack, negating its existence on contact.

"…Imagine Breaker…! Even the miracles crated through sacrifice aren't enough to overcome it…!?" Samson spat.

"…I'll have you know, I've touched a miracle before." Touma shot back. "A true miracle; one that really did save lives, and there was nothing my Imagine Breaker could do about it or the other miracles it spread… fake miracles like yours are just illusions for me to rip apart, you god damn con artist!"

Samson was about to retort when he noticed something odd.

Accelerator was no longer in sight. Just as he noticed however, a voice came from below him.

"Keep an eye on your enemy you son of a bitch!" Accelerator was crouched down in front of him, but quickly rose up and punched the cabal boss in the stomach. His vector change did the rest as Samson was launched across the room like a cannonball, slamming into a wall and hitting the ground, seemingly incapacitated.

A small pool of blood began to appear under the cabal boss' severed arm.

The magi's reaction was immediate.

"S-Samson lost! What do we do now!?"

"E-everyone, stay away from that white haired monster! Get away!"

"Someone grab the boss and let's get out of here!"

Most of the voices were among these terms with minor changes. Hiraku flew to Samson's side, as others, though the wind mage was the one to heave Samson over his shoulder, while the rest began to construct rifts to evacuate the server.

Hiraku turned and shot Accelerator and Touma a glare before diving into a rift himself.

Though a few magi were unconscious across the area, most of them had fled, and the server was left empty.

"…Looks like they abandoned their friends…" Touma commented, looking around at the few incapacitated members lying around. His Dorugamon walked up and nuzzled his partner's side for a moment, and Touma began to pet the beast digimon's head.

"Cut and run; sometimes its best to save yourselves… not exactly a honorable thing to do, but if you're scared to fucking die, you do what you got to do." Accelerator shrugged. A few footsteps could be heard, and it was revealed to be Ryuji and Keisuke, running up with their respective digimon.

"I saw that you sent the boss flying… good work." Ryuji stated.

"Holy… Accelerator's digimon are tough… they took on so many of those guys' digimon and still stood up to that Titamon and Kimeramon…" Keisuke crossed his arms.

"Of course; even if those fuckers managed to cut off my network, it doesn't matter when my boys are around. I raise the best, after all." Accelerator replied, seemingly rather proud of his two companions.

"That's right! The best of the best, the tough of the tough! Only the top dogs are allowed in his roster!" Dracmon suddenly appeared, sitting on the number one's shoulder.

"Says the one rookie I own." Accelerator spat.

"But I'm the strongest rookie! You know that, right!?" Dracmon countered.

However, Accelerator simply looked away.

"W-why are you looking away so dismissively! I-I'm strong right!?" Dracmon continued to pester the number one, but to no avail.

"…So, are you guys ok?" Touma shifted his attention to his other allies as the little vampire digimon continued to annoy his partner.

"We're fine; we're really experienced with scraps like this… not so cool with the numbers disadvantage, but we ran back to the entrance and bottlenecked them there. Lasted out just fine until they decided to run off." Keisuke answered with a nod and a smile.

"More or less. I'll get ahold of Zaxon and have them send some people to pick the ones they left behind here up… though I think they'll be as adamant against talking as the loud one was... "

"…That's right; he was really determined… he flew straight up and attacked us too… didn't look like a digimon attack… and they fused that digimon together on top of that…" Keisuke frowned.

"H-haha! That's probably just some programming trick! Hackers can make their own programs up to do stuff like that if they really wanted, right? I-I mean, digimon do that kind of thing all the time, you know?" Touma spoke quickly.

"That's true… but still…" Keisuke seemed less than convinced. Ryuji was the same, but he didn't vocalize it.

Accelerator narrowed his eyes. It was clear that those two were unfamiliar with magic, and it was also clear that the men and women they were facing were using it.

But in the end, if the hero decided that it'd be best if they didn't know, then he didn't have anything else to say on the matter.

"Job's done, right?" Accelerator asked.

"That's right; their plan was shattered and it looked like their boss was put through the ringer. That should be enough to keep them quiet for the next week or so." Ryuji commented. "How are things on your end, Erika?"

"Just fine. There was an oddity with the data from that Kimeramon when it died, but it's left the server since then." Erika stated. "It's probably nothing."

"In that case; I'm going home. I don't care about whatever agreements you had for payment; I could care less." With that, the number one esper began to make his way out of the server.

However…

"…Hey, hold on." Touma spoke up as his Dorugamon vanished into his Digivice. "…I want to say thanks for that back there… I probably could have taken care of it with my right hand but…"

"I get it; pulling your ass out of the fire is nothing new." Accelerator simply kept walking, waving off the unlucky Kamijou. "You're not a killer, and that's fine. Better that way. Next time though… you better be fucking serious when you swallow your pride to ask me of all people for help… am I fucking clear?"

Accelerator continued his march to leave, and with little else to do, the rest of the group left as well. The mysteries surrounding the unlucky Kamijou didn't vanish for the Hudie crew; in fact, this little adventure simply gave them more questions with no real answers.

But at the very least, with Machina Revolution subdued, with the Demons soon to follow, EDEN felt just a little bit safer.

For the moment.

 **-Unknown Location-**

In one of the many servers in EDEN, several pieces of unknown data began to soar in various streams. They were small enough to avoid being seen unless one was hunting for them, but due to the fact no one knew what they were or that they existed, little cared about a few blips of data.

Eventually, these data bytes began to converge onto one another. Many formed together, taking the shape of a bright blue ball hovering in the air. It began to fly around in random directions, as if it was testing its own limits, and after a moment, it began to fly up into the air.

Before it could reach the cyberspace sky however, it was completely devoured.

An Eater leapt from a floor above, colliding and coiling around the sphere of data until there was nothing left, as was their nature. Data was simply something to be consumed, regardless of its form.

The Eater turned to slither away when its body suddenly began to shift and twist. Parts of it began to change color, tentacles forming together and separating; it was as if the monster's entire state of existence was in a state of chaotic flux.

However, just as quickly as that began, it ended, and the Eater returned to normal. Its mechanical eye began to look around before it resumed its pre-decided path.

Though the monster appeared to be a little bit more twitchy than usual…

* * *

 **Here was our first major encounter with the Magic Cabal known as Machina Revolution. We got a little insight into their goals, how they conduct themselves, and even into one of their plans.**

 **With their leader still running around, even if their plot at the moment was foiled, they'll still be up and around for awhile. We still have plenty to dig into.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	8. A Reminder About Luck

**And here we are again! Post-Christmas chapter! I hope everyone is having a good end of December!**

 **Before we begin, you know what we have to do right? Let's get to it!**

 _whwsms:_ Making use of Touma's reluctance to kill, even if he would have his own life doing so, is fun to play around with. As for the mystery data... that is a mystery!

 _Yolea Irk's:_ You're fine, no worries. Don't worry; Dorugamon will digivolve again. We can't have him top out immediately, you know!

 _Mr. X:_ Magi is the actual plural for Magician... though I think Magicians and Magi can be interchanged to some extent. Accelerator's bit was more geared that way because Accelerator was guilt-tripping Touma, and the superiority in combat is due to... well; Touma being inferior to Accelerator in a brawl, plus Touma's reluctance to kill, even to save his own skin. It's hard to remember, but Touma isn't an almighty deity; his only ability is in his right hand, after all.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Stakes spike up when dealing directly with the enemy faction in their home base, huh? Glad you enjoyed the interlocked fighting! Heheheh... Did Kimeramon throw you for a loop, my good sir? Ironic that in saving its life, Kimeramon became a slave, but at the same time, freedom meant death... something Touma just can't deal out. I'm really glad you enjoyed the Interaction between Touma and Accelerator!

 _WilliamZ0:_ He will evolve.. just not right away. And yes; Digimon not in the game can appear. In fact, I'm going out of my way to try and make that happen for the most part. Funny that you mention IT... as there is a plan for it. As for how the story is structured, yes; this is effectively the "Kamijou Touma" route to a certain extent, he'll interact with others but otherwise be on his own... for now. As for Touma.. for existing tracks? The track "Hope Ster" fits the best to me... but think of this; how about a remix of "Gensou Koroshi" from the Index soundtracks but done with Cyber Sleuth's instruments?

 _wiliamsusanto:_ They truly weren't prepared for the Unlucky Kamijou this time. Him, or the people that follow him. Even with the High Priest death, he wasn't the one who actually killed him either... not that Touma would know. As for your other question, yes... but I won't dare spoil when, how, or what they get involved with!

 _Guest (1):_ Got a theory or two, huh?

 _Guest (2):_ Magic Cabals are weird, huh? ...Now that you mention it, that music would work, before suddenly cutting out upon RustTyranomon noticing, right? Maybe with a record scratch attached? Yeah... Accelerator is just a little Tsundere to the little guy, huh?

 _vietnamese guy:_ I shall spoil nothing, sir! Dracmon's route will be interesting once you see where he ends up. As for Dorugamon's mega... you'll see. There is a method to my madness, sir!

 _Superrr:_ As said above, there is a method to my madness... That will make sense when the time comes. Touma starts as 15, becomes 16 eventually (But we never got to find out his birthday... sadness), but I think your refering to the seemingly infinite amount of time he spent dealing with Othinus, right?

 _Question:_ Those are a lot of possible suggestions... I can see some of them.

 _Who Am I?:_ I don't intend him to be... though a guy like him is brilliant enough to be one. And My comment about Nokia was mentioned up above; They'll meet soon.

 _ScytheMasterX:_ Accelerator is the esper-embodiment of Chaos

 _0 Jordinio 0_ (From Chapter 6): Well... sorry you feel that way, friend. Arguments could be made about the power scale varying all over the place (As can the speed of our two opponents here) But that doesn't change the fact that the clash in question left you unsatisfied. To some extent... I can kind of see what you mean. Not sure if it'd change the final outcome or not, but I can see it. Hopefully (If you choose to stick around) that clashes in the future are more fulfilling.

QuestionWonder: I think it's safe to say he will meet some at some point. As for the Eater... you'll see.

 **With that done... I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"…You know, Index would love something like this." Touma sighed heavily as he looked over an ad for a random buffet restaurant in Tokyo. About a week had gone by since the affair with Machina Revolution. In that time, a previously mentioned hacker group, the Demons, had their leader annihilated and the group dissolved. Supposedly, a masked figure was trying to bring them back, but they were much quieter about their actions in comparison to the old organization, so rumors about that vanished rather quickly.

The reason Kamijou Touma was saddened upon seeing a cheap buffet ad? The answer was simple, and it wasn't due to the fact that it was in Tokyo rather than Academy City.

It was because of his financial situation. Sure, he had been paid for his work with Zaxon, rather substantially in fact, but due to a malfunctioning refrigerator, a TV that shattered after randomly falling over while he was at school, and a small but damaging fire caused by his oven, most of those funds were erased.

Not to mention feeding Index took a decisive toll. Though he had gotten a significant boost to his finances, he was right back at square one due to his horrendous bad luck.

As he would say, "Such misfortune."

"At least I got to use that cash to eat out at least once… even if Index's appetite got us kicked out in the end." Touma began to sulk. "Way to go Kamijou-chan; you ate out once and got spoiled, and now you're suffering withdrawals… should have known that was too good to be true…"

"…Is something the matter?" A girl spoke to him. Touma had apparently gotten so down about his financial hell that he didn't even notice that someone else had walked up beside him. Though the girl was focusing on the ad, Touma's comment appeared to get her attention.

She had shoulder length black hair with matching black eyes, as well as a rather quiet disposition judging from how she spoke. She wore a black and white long-sleeve dress with some fluff around her neck. Her dress went to about mid-thigh, and black leggings covered the rest of her lower half.

She was rather cute too; something that caught the unlucky Kamijou off guard when she started speaking to him.

"I-its nothing… just lamenting how poor I am," Touma rubbed the back of his head. "Even something like this is out of my budget…"

"That's unfortunate… this place takes special care of their customers and provides plenty for their them. Plus, it's rather high quality for western-styled food." The girl replied.

"You don't say… you sound like a regular." Touma commented.

"I am; I can lose myself for hours inside… once I get started, I can't stop…" The girl trailed off, looking back at the ad.

"…You sure seem like a regular foodie…" Touma replied nervously. "…You and Index sure would get along; she really loves food too… and can pack it away… no matter how hard I try I can't fill her up without breaking the bank… and then just a few hours later she's hungry again…"

"…I have the same problem sometimes…" The girl replied, turning back towards him.

"…I'm starting to wonder if "Black Hole Stomach" is some kind of medical condition…" Touma sighed. The raven-haired girl tilted her head in a curious manner.

Another set of footsteps could be heard approaching the two, followed by a familiar voice.

"…Talk about star power. First, you're friends with the Accelerator, and now you're chatting up Kamishiro Yuuko. Seriously, are you some kind of celebrity or something?" Arata stated as he walked up to the two.

"…Kamishiro?" Touma asked.

"Yup; as in the company that made and owns EDEN. You're talking to the former president's daughter, after all." Arata casually stated. The raven-haired girl began to frown.

"I'd appreciate it if you couldn't casually talk like that about me." She stated.

"What? You just started chatting him up without telling him who you were?" Arata commented. "…Though I guess that might scare off a lot of people, so maybe that makes sense now that I think about it."

"She honestly just walked up beside me and started talking about food." Touma stated. The jump-suit male turned toward the ad in front of him before shaking his head.

"…Yeah that makes sense." He stated.

"You two know each other?" The spiky-haired teen crossed his arms.

"Acquaintances would be the best way to describe it." Arata replied. "Actually, I was on my way here to talk about something specific with her. You know about that EDEN upgrade preview event?"

"I heard about that…" Touma rubbed the back of his head. "Not particularly interested myself… plus even if I was, I wouldn't be able to afford the entrance fee.

"…That's probably for the best." Arata slipped his hands into his pockets. He gave the impression that he was hiding something, but the unlucky Kamijou didn't pursue it.

"Well, if you got business, I don't want to get in the way." Touma replied.

"You're not… in the way, I think…" Yuuko spoke. "It wouldn't take long, right?" She turned towards Arata.

"…Yeah, not that long. Just need some clarifications on a few things." He replied. "Actually, I've been meaning to get ahold of you too, Kamijou, so it's a win-win for me if you'd stick around for a bit."

"If you're trying to shoe-horn me into some kind of plot, forget it. I already got duped into a sketchy situation last week by Zaxon…" Touma replied.

"…No? Zaxon had you out on a job? I don't think you were there when the Demons went under… Machina Revolution then? I heard they have clammed up recently, and some rumors suggested Zaxon finally stepped into the situation…" Arata asked. Touma replied with a sigh and a nod, which appeared to annoy the jump-suit male. "…Seriously? Sending their own guys is one thing, but recruiting a random user…?"

"It's a complicated situation… let's just say I had been to the server Machina Revolution was holed up in and leave it at that." Touma rubbed his neck.

"…I'm sorry you had to go through that." Yuuko suddenly spoke up with a frown.

"H-hey… you don't have to apologize; it's not like you're the one who sent me in there, right?" Touma replied. Yuuko looked away with an ashamed expression regardless, which made the unlucky Kamijou feel awkward.

"…I see that your bad luck is as legendary as ever." Arata commented with a smirk.

"Shove it before I give you some bad luck." Touma fired back.

"That being said… is it safe to assume that Eaters are still after you?" Arata asked. This seemed to catch the raven-haired girl's attention who turned back toward the conversation.

"More or less. Dealing with them is easy, but it's still annoying to deal with. At least they don't show up in the school servers anymore." Touma shrugged.

"Well… I found out that they are attracted to large amounts of data. The reason they even target people's avatars at all is because of the consciousness data contained within when someone logs in. Active avatars contain way more information than their surroundings, so they are naturally targeted, make sense?" Arata explained.

"Ok… that covers why they attack people at all… but why do they specifically target me?" Touma replied. "I've had instances when they'd show up in the middle of a server, go after someone, but the moment they see me, they'll switch targets like they just saw the juiciest slab of meat they had ever seen."

"…That's where it gets more difficult…" Arata crossed his arms. "…Could your consciousness data honestly be worth that much more to them?"

"Doubtful; while that data configuration's memory take-up will change from person to person, it would be unreasonable for someone to have significantly more to be relevant." Yuuko answered.

"Then… something in his avatar…?" Arata suggested.

"Well… my Imagine Breaker is usually in my right arm… but it manifested here in EDEN too…" The spiky haired teen rubbed his neck.

"Then wouldn't other espers have problems with Eaters? I haven't caught wind of any rumors about espers being targeted…" The jump-suit male replied.

"…My right hand is a little bit more complicated than that sadly." Touma replied. "But… if they are attracted to my right arm… and my right arm can negate and destroy their entire existence…"

"Then they are basically marching toward their death." Arata replied. "That's… really dark. Being attracted to the very thing that's guaranteed to kill you…"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore…" Touma sighed. "But, that is good information… at least I know why they are after me now. The next step is to figure out what to do about it…"

"I know; they must have some kind of a nest somewhere…" Arata commented. "…Maybe if we find it, we can use you as bait." He smirked.

"…You think you're real cute, don't you?" Touma deadpanned. The three spoke for a time but shortly after Touma decided to log off, leaving the two alone.

However, the conversation they had was not a private one… or at least, not at private as they thought.

"…That boy with the spiky hair has been showing up an awful lot recently." A woman spoke, far away from the group in question. She had been spying on the group from her private office with Kamishiro Enterprises itself.

She was a young woman with light green hair, decorated with butterfly-shaped pins, and yellow eyes. She wore an orange business jacket over a black blouse, both designed to show off her rather impressive bust, and a short orange business skirt with stockings adorned with a black flower pattern that only went up about mid-thigh.

Her name was Kishibe Rie, and she was an executive officer in Kamishiro Enterprises. There was a lot more to this woman, but…

"Ah, Kamijou Touma has appeared again, has he?" An older male spoke up. He was rather short, with grey hair and black eyes. He wore a white suit under a black coat, and had a purple scarf around his neck.

His name was Suedou Akemi, a major researcher for the company.

"He has… and this time around Yuuko-chan directly…" Rie replied. "When Yuugo is off being a Zaxon top-dog is one thing, but if he starts getting friendly with Yuuko…"

"He does appear to get around… the failure of Machina Revolution was most unexpected." Akemi replied. "If you think about it, he meets up with a lot of rather important figures it would seem, so it would only be natural that he met Yuuko-san eventually. You never know; his next meeting might be with you personally."

"You say that like you want him to just stroll in here…" Rie didn't seem amused by the researcher's suggestion.

"Oh, I would most certainly be overjoyed to meet him in person!" Akemi spoke with enthusiasm. "A natural lure for the Eaters would be most helpful in my research. Not to mention, I have been wanting to study that mysterious ability of his! To dispel an Eater's corruption just on casual contact… if such a feat could be reproduced…"

"…Hold on, corruption? This is new." Rie perked up a little bit.

"Ah, it is just a theory I have, inspired by that particular ability's nature to negate unnatural phenomena." Akemi replied. "While not seeing it personally, I have had a few instances with my research points capture scraps between him and the Eater population… each time his "Imagine Breaker," as he calls it, destroys an Eater, a bright blue light can be seen occupying the same space, although with much less mass, before it leaves the server entirely. I believe this to be an Eater's true form."

"Is that so…?"

"Indeed. Current data suggests that Eaters evolved to this state through contact with humans… but this new information suggests that perhaps that evolution was not a natural one. Data recovered from Machina Revolution has provided me the fun detail that their schemes to force Digivolution were forcefully reverted with casual contact with Imagine Breaker as well; it very well might be that the Eater's evolution might not have been as natural as we believe, and that his ability to negate supernatural phenomena forcefully returns them to their normal state… although, that is just a theory. I have not been able capture one of these "Purified" Eaters yet, so I cannot examine their data to find any consistent similarities."

"So… what you are suggesting… is that while they did indeed evolve upon contact with humans… someone directly interfered with it, and caused their current state?" Rie asked.

"It is very likely that it was someone on the team involved with the EDEN prototype experiment long ago… though exactly who is a mystery; your guess is as good as mine." Akemi concluded. "This… magic is rather interesting, and considering how easily it can blend in with the world, it could have been anyone on the team… it very well might have been an outside party who caused the whole incident to begin with as well, using their occult methods to disguise their involvement. It is difficult to understand at this time…"

Rie simply leaned back in her chair, taking all the information in.

"…Regardless, their existence is still due to human intervention; that much remains the same." Rie commented. "But it angers me a little bit to know that they both caused the abominations' existence but had the solution to eliminating them at the same time…"

"I agree… if he had been discovered with this power much earlier… but that is neither here nor there, I'm afraid." The researcher stated. "The past is the past. Set in stone. Though I would still very much like to meet this Kamijou Touma someday; he seems like the most interesting individual."

Rie looked back at the information in front of her, reviewing some of her own data.

"…He does, doesn't he?" She smiled. "Yes, a meeting would be rather nice; I'd like to see this Imagine Breaker up close…" She then turned to face Akemi. "Tell me; what is out maximum range for causing a digital shift?"

 **-Touma's Dorm room-**

"Human, I'm bored." Othinus called out.

"Nothing on TV?" Touma asked.

"Not really… especially with you going off on your digital adventures like that lazy butt over there." Othinus pointed toward Index, who was lying on Touma's bed with her digivice on. Despite being technologically inept at first, it appeared that the silver-haired nun was getting rather used to the device.

"Sorry that you can't come with…" Touma replied.

"Then buy me one too."

"I can't afford that after everything that happened!" Touma shouted. "Even Index bought her own, you know."

"And just how am I supposed to do that, human?" Othinus shot back.

"…With your magical god powers?"

"You're making fun of me, aren't you?"

"Very much so; I'm glad that the almighty magic god is capable of stating the obvious." Touma joked. Othinus didn't take kindly and leapt at the unlucky Kamijou from the table he was sitting at, but was caught in the air with relative ease.

"Calm down, will you? I'm just joking." Touma held the girl up in his palm. After a moment, Othinus turned away from him.

"…Not nice." She muttered. The spiky-haired teen simply moved the tiny magic god up to his shoulder, where she quickly disembarked his hand and took her seat there.

"What do you say we head somewhere?" Touma pushed himself up to his feet. "Index will probably be distracted for a while, so we should be free… at least until dinner time."

"Hrm…?" Othinus sounded intrigued. "I don't mind. Where do you want to go?"

"That is a good question…" Touma crossed his arms. He walked toward the door, thinking that he could just decide on the way when his phone rang.

It was a rather unusual call from Hamazura Shiage, for something particularly special…

"Happy Birthday Fremea!"

Everyone in the room cheered at once as the birthday girl blew out a set of candles on a chocolate cake. She was a blond-haired girl with big blue eyes and a red hat. Her name was simply Fremea Seivelun.

She was surrounded by her friends, another little girl with brown hair by the name of Last Order, who looked very similar to Misaka Mikoto and another with long sliver hair who carried the name Fräulein Kreutune. Also in the room was a Hamazura, his girlfriend, Takitsubo Rikou, and one Kamijou Touma.

"Hehe, thank you!" Fremea blushed red.

"Hey, Fremea, how old are you now? Misaka Misaka asks curiously!" Last Order asked.

"Essentially, I am now nine years old! That makes me the oldest, nyahhh!" Fremea proclaimed proudly. "That means I get the most cake!"

"That's not fair! Misaka Misaka cries in despair!" Last Order cried out.

"It's not… besides; I'm the oldest." Fräulein stated simply. She then stated a large number that neither of the girls knew what to make of, with her claiming it to be her own age, which the two girls argued against, with Fremea saying that her true age began when she transformed into a little girl, labeling her as the youngest.

This appeared to confuse Fräulein, which led into a playful argument between the three.

"Boss… seriously; thanks for helping me keep these three distracted while Takitsubo set all this up." Hamazura stated. They were in the apartment where Hamazura lived, frequently used by the members of ITEM. What the dirty blond referred to were decorations all over the room for Fremea's birthday party.

"It's no problem. I had no plans anyway, so it worked out." Touma shrugged. "I just wish Othinus could mingle with everyone, but…"

"Right… mega midget…" Hamazura commented.

"Say that again; I dare you." The tiny Othinus popped out of Touma's breast pocket on his coat and glared at the unlucky Kamijou.

"Sorry you can't really do a whole lot in this setting… explaining you to the girls would be difficult…" Touma mused.

"It's fine, I just like being around you. It's better than being stuck at home with the black hole nun." Othinus commented. "Don't forget to share some of the cake with me though; I can still generate enough torque to rip-off your ear."

"Don't worry; I already have some set aside for you for later." Touma replied. Seemingly satisfied, Othinus withdrew back into the unlucky Kamijou's pocket. "Hey Hamazura, don't you normally have two other people staying here though? Where are they?"

"Kinuhata was raving about some new movie that came out… but Mugino had some shit she had to do due to her status as a level 5…" Takitsubo stated.

"Fremea's friend from school, Azumi, couldn't make it either, and I couldn't even find the damn white beetle to invite him… but it looks like she's having fun regardless…" The dirty blond crossed his arms with a smile on his face

"…You sound like a dad, Hamazura." Touma commented.

"That makes me feel old; don't say it again, damn it." Hamazura grumbled.

"Well, at least you got Kreutune-san and Last Order… honestly, I'm surprised Accelerator let Last Order come…" Touma commented.

"Ugh… convincing him was hell. You want to make jokes about me being a dad? He takes the god damn cake…" Hamazura replied.

"Don't have to tell me twice, I believe you." Touma sighed.

The party continued rather normally, at least until a weird sensation washed over the group, but the odd feeling vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"That was weird… goosebumps…" Touma commented, taking a drink of water.

"Oh fucking hell… my phone stopped working. That's where the music was coming from…" Hamazura scratched his head. He tried multiple times to turn it on but it was as if it completely broken.

"That sucks… my internet slowed to a crawl but it still works I guess." Touma replied. "If you tell me the song name I can give it a go… it'll take a while to buffer though."

"…Hamazura." Takitsubo tugged at the blond's shirt to get his attention. Hamazura turned to his girlfriend, who promptly pointed to the table where the three girls were playing. He looked over with a frustrated expression, but froze the moment he saw what Takitsubo was pointing too.

Or rather… what.

"Oh? Lopmon? What are you doing here, Misaka Misaka asks while trying to figure out how you appeared?" Last Order stated. In her arms rested a brown animal looking somewhat like a rabbit, though his ears were abnormally long and rested on the digimon's sides.

"W-where did you get it! I-it's so cute, nyah!" Fremea shouted. Fräulein simply observed with curiosity as the two girls began to play with the cute digimon.

"…Boss," Hamazura tugged on Touma's sleeve. "…Digimon can't leave EDEN, can they?"

"I haven't heard of it, why?" Touma looked up from his phone, only to see the same sight Hamazura did. "…Oh…"

"Yeah, that's a problem, isn't it?" The blond asked.

"…I mean… its Last Order's Lopmon from the look of it… but…" Touma trailed off. "…How do we explain this?"

"Hamazura, look outside." Takitsubo guested towards the window with a frown. The two level 0's ran over to it.

The typical street view they would normally see was completely gone. In its place was what could only be described as chaos. A mish-mash of red with black lines that somehow looked like a flat image but also a three-dimensional space at the same time. It rippled regularly, as if it were liquid as well.

No other discernable things could be seen.

"…W-what the flying fuck…!?" Hamazura cursed. Touma ran over to the other window to peer out.

"Same thing over here… what the hell is happening…!?" Touma stated.

"Phase manipulation." Othinus poked her head out of Touma's jacket again. "This is a similar response when someone recklessly applies changes to a phase, or adds one to the current phases unnaturally… though the exact phenomena here I'm not directly familiar with… curious…"

Before they could try to discuss what the tiny magic god had stated, they heard two of the girls scream.

"W-what is that thing!?" Fremea cried out.

"Misaka is scared, Misaka Misaka states as she backs up on reflex!"

The level 0's turned to see an unpleasant but familiar sight; an Eater right in the middle of the living room.

"One of these fucking things, here!?" Hamazura spat. Touma clenched his fist; he remembered something from earlier.

Eaters are attracted to large quantities of information or data.

Moreover, even with his right hand in play, there were little things with more information than the control tower for the entire Misaka network.

"Last Order! Get away!" Touma called out as he started to run. However, the Eater had leapt forward, moving right toward the group of girls. Hamazura turned to move as well, but it was too late.

The Eater had latched onto and wrapped around one of them…

…But it wasn't either Fremea or Last Order. Fräulein Kreutune had stepped in the way of the monster and was subsequently engulfed by its mass.

Those in the room stood in horror as the Eater coiled its entire body around the girl.

However, without much rhyme or reason, the Eater stopped moving. It paused for quite some time before suddenly trying unwrap itself from the girl it had attacked, only for the arms from that very girl to burst from the tentacles and grab hold of it. The monster did its best to pull away, but it was seemingly no match for the little girl.

And this was made clear by the fact that Fräulein could be seen eating the monster as it struggled to escape.

Bite after bite, Fräulein tore away at the Eater, until eventually she latched onto the monsters eye, devouring it. After that, the remains of the creature vanished without a core to maintain it.

Despite the scene, Fräulein simply stood in place.

"…Filling but bland, six out of ten." The silver-haired girl commented.

"Ah, that's right… she literally eats information…" Touma let out a relieved sigh. He questioned briefly how she was able to escape from the Eater's attack completely unharmed, but chalked it up to her apparent inability to be killed or harmed by normal means.

"A being of pure information manifested in the physical space… its goal is to simply convert things into data and transfer it to a specific location… but the link it had with the others was severed while I was ingesting it… seems to be a safety measure…" Fräulein stated.

"Essentially, Fräulein is smart, nya!" Fremea stated.

"Was simply recalling absorbed information." Fräulein tilted her head, thinking it wasn't anything special. After a moment, she made a sound similar to a hiccup. She covered her mouth, unsure of what happened.

Oddly, there was a small change in the girl. Formerly, she appeared to be about seven or eight years old, but now she could easily pass for a ten year old. Other than an increase in height associated with that, she was still normal by her standards.

"…I grew up." Fräulein commented, observing herself.

"Lucky… I wish I could get bigger by eating, nya…" Fremea stated.

"Well you do, just not like that. Don't use her as a base for how to grow up unless you want to be a giant ball of fat." Hamazura spoke with a deadpan expression.

"N-n-never! Essentially, I think that's a little mean, Hamazura!" Fremea fired back.

"That's right! Comments about a girl's figure like that are mean, Misaka Misaka shouts while pointing an accusing finger!" Last Order chimed in.

"…I believe he was simply pointing out that you should eat healthy." Fräulein stated.

"That's not the point!" both girls shouted. The three began to argue again as Touma made his way over to the dirty blond.

"Well, that takes care of that… what do we do about this, boss?" Hamazura stated.

"I have no clue… only thing I know is that those monsters are attracted to information… probably why they went after Last Order…" Touma crossed his arms.

"…You assume I know why that makes sense." Hamazura grumbled. The dirty blond didn't know about the Sisters Project at all, so him being unaware wasn't that hard to believe.

"It's… probably for the best if you don't know…" Touma replied. "I'd just like an answer as to what the hell is happening… Othinus stated what was done but not exactly why or how…"

"Think someone online might know? Just a shot in the dark, but I think I heard about something like this happening over in Tokyo…" Takitsubo stated. "…We still have internet but it's really slow…"

"…Tokyo huh…" Touma crossed his arms.

He actually knew a few people from Tokyo through EDEN. Moreover, there was one person particular who seemed to know just about every rumor in that city as well as EDEN.

He opened up his phone and tried to call, but the phone function was completely dead. However, he could still send a message out through his digiline…

 **-Tokyo, Nakano Broadway Mall-**

In a certain place behind a brown door on the first floor, the most curious place could be found.

In an area without any other shops or restaurants around it stood a single office. And around the door, the sign read "Kuremi Detective Agency."

The very same place that a certain Cyber Sleuth worked. She was resting on a couch in the room while her boss sat at her desk.

"How was the case?" Kuremi Kyoko, the owner of the office asked as she mixed something into a cup of coffee.

"A bit of a pain… but I made some real progress." Ami replied. "I think I cracked it, but it'll take some time to piece things together…"

"That's fine; take your time. Sometimes the best tool you can have in your arsenal is patience." Kyoko replied with a smile. She was about to say something else, but several loud knocks came at the wooden door leading into the office. "Come in; we're open."

The door swung open, and one Sanada Arata walked in.

"Ami; we got trouble." He spoke. His breathing gave the impression that he had been running. "I just happened to be in Nakano when I got the message. There's been another Digital Shift!"

"Another one? Where?" Kyoko spoke up. "Judging from the pattern we've seen so far…" She trailed off, but Arata shook his head.

"Not here in Tokyo." He stated.

"…Why do I feel like I'm not going to like this…?" Ami carried a worried expression.

"A friend of mine just got caught in one in Academy City. He described everything happening and it checks out with the others." Arata stated, holding out his phone to display a digiline message.

"Academy City…? So far away…? Is their maximum reach farther than we thought…?" The revealing blonde mused openly as Ami read through the message. The details described certainly did resemble what they had dealt with before, but she found something rather curious when she read who the sender was.

"Kamijou-san? You know Kamijou-san?" The Cyber Sleuth asked.

"…Should I even be surprised?" Arata sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, I do. I gave him all the information we have on Digital Shifts, but things are already looking sketchy over there… so I can't help but be a bit worried…"

"Academy City is a bit of a trip… it'd be at least a few hours normally… not to mention getting cleared to enter…" Kyoko stated.

"So what? I'm supposed to just sit on my hands?" Arata replied. "The weird thing is that he was even able to get ahold of me at all; normally Digital Shifts block out communication."

"…So there must still be an active line to where he is?" Ami asked. "If so… then you can leave it to me."

"What are you going to do?" Kyoko asked curiously. The Cyber Sleuth simply held out her hand towards the large TV in the room.

The next thing they knew, she was gone.

 **-Apartment Complex-**

A Digital Shift was a very abnormal event indeed. It is caused by a sudden influx of digital waves, which have become all too common in this world.

For the sake of comparison, the simplest form of a Digital Wave would be a wireless internet connection. Since EDEN's inception, the amount of terminals capable of emitting digital waves have skyrocketed, and their effective range had increased dramatically. In the current age, the entire world was covered in Digital Waves, but their strongest source was in Japan, EDEN's origin.

An influx of these of these Digital Waves can have adverse effects, and at their strongest, they begin to affect space itself, causing a Digital Shift. Inside a Digital Shift, everything exists in both its physical state as well as a digital one simultaneously.

This causes the terrain to distort rather wildly, in some cases to the point where the rules of space and time no longer apply; traveling seemingly great distances in mere seconds as well as absurd amounts of floors in a building to appear out of nowhere. Patches of structures and inanimate objects are replaced by pure information, causing holes in floors and walls leading to nothingness, but doing so without reducing structural integrity. There is the occasional phenomena of objects fading in and out of existence of random intervals, as well as floating in the air without reason.

There have even been reports of black vegetation appearing out of the patches of data without any clue as to why.

In addition, it is undeniably supernatural in nature. Hamazura's phone stopped working due to the influence of the Digital Shift altering its interior, but contact with Imagine Breaker fixed it.

While the cause for the sudden rush of Digital Waves was unknown, after a Digital Shift had been erected, a typical way to fix it would be to destroy a particular being that is drawn to it; an Eater.

However, in this one, an Eater had already been slain. The only idea left was that there must be multiple of them that needed to be eliminated.

That was at least the information Touma received from Arata, anyway.

"You sure it's alright for us to go and leave them alone?" Hamazura asked as he and Touma left his apartment.

"Fräulein can handle whatever tries to attack them. Besides, if we want to get rid of these things, the only way is to hunt them down. I doubt they'll all just come to us if they are all over the building." Touma stated.

"I guess… so we're relying on your right hand, right?" Hamazura asked.

"More or less… well; and this guy." Touma stated. As he did so, his Dorugamon manifested next to him. "Apparently, wild digimon might be wandering around in here too, so we should be careful."

"Don't expect to carry all the weight yourself man; I got your back." Hamazura stated as his own digimon appeared, but he looked different since the last time Touma had seen him. The little fire beast now resembled an orange lion with a yellow mane with the attachment of several disks all over its body, each one capable of emitting fire, including one on the digimon's forehead.

"Someone got an upgrade." Touma blinked.

"He digivolved; say hi to Firamon." The dirty blond commented. Firamon bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Well, let's get going. The sooner this finishes up, the better." Touma stated.

Thus, their adventure began. Aside from a few random digimon appearances, there was little noteworthy to mention. Though it did definitely prove that Hamazura's Firamon was much stronger than before.

They eventually came to an elevator with little other places to go… as the entire staircase on the floor was completely digitized.

"…I don't think we can head that way." Hamazura commented. He kicked a small piece of debris in to the digital chaos, and watched it fall infinitely until it vanished from sight.

"I can restore part of it with my right hand… but that'd take a long time depending on where we're going… looks like the elevator is powered though." Touma commented. However, the digital input said it was currently resting on basement floor 200. "…Your building has over 200 floors?"

"Not a chance in hell; this thing must be broken by the shift…" Hamazura kicked the elevator door. Touma pressed the call button and the numbers began going crazy, freezing on some kind of non-sensible symbol, but when it did so, the elevator opened. There didn't seem to be any damage to it structurally, and the buttons on the keypad inside were normal as well.

"Ask and you shall receive…" Touma sighed and stepped into it followed by Hamazura, their digimon despawning to allow them to fit. "Where should we go?"

"Thing said it was somewhere in the basement… so let's see what the hell it was doing down there during all of this shit." Hamazura pressed one of the basement buttons and the doors closed. The elevator began to descend at a normal rate. The screen showing the floor number still went crazy. When the Elevator stopped, the screen read "B6969"

"…Perverted piece of shit." Hamazura kicked the side of the elevator. Slowly, the door opened to reveal their destination.

It opened up into a long path that appeared normal. However, it lead out into a very large and expansive open space comprised of the purple digital chaos from before. However, the floor appeared stable and even had a few random objects laying on it as proof, looking much more solid.

What was rather unsettling however was the massive hand made out of random objects, primarily vehicles, looming overhead. Each piece was locked in place by vegetation of some kind, and gave a very intimidating feeling.

In addition, it appeared the entire area was filled with Eaters. In addition to the normal variety, there were several that appeared almost humanoid, their tentacles coming together to form limbs as various eyes appeared through the gaps of their incomplete bodies.

"…Ask and you shall receive, huh?" Hamazura asked with a dull expression.

"Such misfortune…" Touma sighed.

 **-ITEM Apartment-**

"Think they are ok? Misaka Misaka asks in a worried tone." Last Order sat at the table with a frown.

"Hamazura is there! Essentially, they will be fine, nyah!" Fremea proudly proclaimed.

"…Those monsters haven't come back." Fräulein commented. They had a few appearances of some aggressive digimon, but Fräulein proved to be just as effective at dealing with them as the Eater was, although she didn't get a chance to try eating them, something that she commented on being disappointing.

"They probably felt the fear made by their friend when you ate it!" Fremea enthusiastically stated. "Essentially, considering how you weren't hurt, you are basically a natural predator to these things, nyah!"

"…Natural predator, huh?" Fräulein tilted her head.

"Don't go giving her weird ideas, Fremea." Takitsubo scolded.

The discussion ended upon a weird sound being heard coming from the small laptop in the middle of the room, that Fremea had gotten out to help pass the time. Strange noises came from the device's speakers and it began to lightly vibrate. When both of these strange phenomena ended, something unexplainable happened.

Someone came out of the laptop's screen and landed on the floor.

"T-that was a rough trip…" Aiba Ami commented as her form stabilized after her connect jump. "Finding a functional server to this spot here in Academy City was harder than I thought it'd be…"

"A-a-a girl just popped out of the computer! Misaka Misaka states while hiding behind her friend!" Last order stood behind Fremea, who appeared to be just as confused.

"E-essentially, s-she must be one of those monsters! G-get her!" Fremea stuttered out.

"Understood." Fräulein answered simply, licking her lips in the process.

"H-hold on! I'm a good girl, I swear!" Ami waved her hand frantically to try to dispel the confusion. "I'm just looking for someone, that's all!"

"…Is his name by chance Hamazura?" Takitsubo asked in a dangerous tone. The possibility of Hamazura being unfaithful appeared to overpower her own confusion on the situation at hand.

"E-eh? I don't know who that is…" Ami began to sweat as the pure essence of hostility emanated from the girl.

"Then who are you looking for?" Takitsubo asked, appearing unfazed.

However, Ami's reply changed her attitude towards the red-haired girl.

"I'm looking for a friend; Kamijou Touma? Have you seen him?"

 **-Apartment Basement-**

"How many of these pieces of shit are there!?" Hamazura spat.

"Just keep bringing them over to me and I can handle the rest!" Touma replied quickly.

The number of Eaters was daunting to say the least. As each one was taken down, another appeared to take its place. The strategy was to stagger each Eater to allow Touma the opportunity to annihilate them with Imagine Breaker. The amount of monsters made this strategy difficult, but it hadn't reached the point of impossibility.

Besides; Firamon and Dorugamon was more than capable of handling themselves in battle.

A few minutes passed, and it finally seemed like the flow of incoming Eaters was beginning to slow. There were still quite a few of them, but it was just a matter of time before they were all dealt with.

However, gold streamers appeared from nowhere and diced the Eaters up as if they were made of paper. The horde that the two level 0's had been dealing with was completely annihilated in an instant, making their own struggles to deal with it appear pointless in comparison.

"What… the hell?" Hamazura asked, looking around in confusion.

"Wait… under the hand! Look!" Touma pointed toward the base of the large hand structure. The gold streamers appeared to be retracting to something standing at that point.

There stood a tall but sleek digimon, covered in slender pink and gold armor, looking very reminiscent of a knight. The gold streamers wrapped around the digimon's back as they returned to rest. On its right arm however, it wielded a large shield-looking weapon with a cannon along its bottom edge.

"Is that… a digimon?" Hamazura asked. Touma could only glance back and forth between Hamazura and the knightly digimon.

Despite them being saved, an odd tension was left behind in the Eater's wake.

"…Seeing it up close displays how effective such a monstrous ability is." The digimon spoke is a clearly feminine voice. "I expected the humanoid ones to put up more of a fight… but they were done in all the same."

"Are you the one responsible for these things?" Touma asked.

"I am not their creator nor their commander, but if one were to ask if I was the one who lured them here… well; hopefully I don't have to spell it out." The digimon replied. "I am here for some… data collection. I've been observing that arm of yours off and on recently and decided it was worth my time for a personal investigation. You should be honored; I don't make a personal appearance for just anyone, you know."

"You've got to be kidding… you pulled all of this just to get my attention?" Touma didn't sound amused. "Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Crusadermon, that's all you need to know, you little brat." The digimon retorted. "It really is too bad; that right arm of yours is exactly what we would have needed in the past… but with circumstances as they are, it's probably more of a hindrance in the long run…"

"…Hey boss." Hamazura called out. "This bitch pissing you off?"

"A little… you?" Touma replied.

"Big time." The dirty blond replied. "This condescending bitch is getting on my nerves. Plus, she admitted herself that she's the one who pulled this shit-show. What do you say we slap the shit out of her, huh?"

"Sounds like a plan. Save some for me." Touma replied. Their digimon stood ready, growling at the pink knight in front of them. However, she didn't appear intimidated.

In fact, she began to laugh.

"You intend to challenge me? Do you really think you simpletons can stand up to me?" Crusadermon replied. "Very well… truthfully, I had intended to finish this clean-up quickly… but I suppose I can play around just a little bit. If you hit me with everything you got and you might just make me get serious, you know."

She rode on her high horse until the very end. The two level 0's simply nodded at each other and their respective digimon began their attack.

Dorugamon began with its **Power Metal** attack, firing large iron balls at the knight digimon win rapid succession. However, the streamers around Crusadermon's body effortlessly deflected each one. Firamon approached from the opposite angle while the knight digimon was focused on the beast digimon, and unleashed his **Fira Bomb** technique, firing off multiple bombs from the flames on his head that struck the mysterious assailant, exploding on impact and engulfing Crusadermon in a pillar of fire.

However, their effort was for naught.

" **Spiral Masquerade."** The streamers whipped around Crusadermon's body and stretched out, thrashing the two digimon all over before launching them into the air, taking them both down at once.

"Dorugamon!" Touma shouted as his partner hit the floor and rolled onto his side.

"Firamon!" Hamazura did the same, before turning to face the knight digimon. "You… son of a-"

He didn't get to finish as Crusadermon suddenly reached him, kicking the blond across the face and launching him right into his own digimon.

"I really hate being called that." She replied. "Now… I believe that leaves just you and me, Kamijou Touma." The knight turned to face the unlucky teenager.

"Damn it…!" Touma stiffened under Crusadermon's gaze. He knew there was little he could do about the knight digimon, but he put up his fists anyway.

"…Ah, an excellent idea." Crusadermon held up her own right arm with the shield-like weapon. "You're not the only one with a special arm… let's compare, shall we?"

She ran toward him with incredible speed. At the rate she was moving, trying to escape was a waste of time.

All that could be done would be to attempt to defend himself. He threw a punch toward the encroaching digimon, who met his fist with her own.

The effect was immediate as the force of Crusadermon's attack tore off Touma's arm at the shoulder, while the aftershock of the attack sent him flying onto his back. Blood gushed forth and pooled on the ground around his severed limb.

Touma received a painful reminder; he wasn't in EDEN. Even if it was a Digital Shift, he was using his real physical body.

If he were fatally injured, he would die.

"So it was able to negate the shot from the pile bunker… but not the strength of my punch." Crusadermon commented. By how she spoke, Imagine Breaker did do something, just simply not enough. "Oh well… his arm was pulverized completely. To be honest I would have liked to collect it… but it honestly was just a mild curiosity at best. It has long passed the point where that power would do anything meaningful."

She turned away and began to walk back toward the base of the giant hand sticking out of the ground. A small amount of Eaters had begun to appear, likely some remnants who had wandered away from the core of the Digital Shift that had decided to return.

However… they were behaving strangely. Instead of moving toward the two to absorb their mental data, they kept back.

In fact, a few actually left the area entirely, and the number of Eaters doing such was starting to grow. Something was overpowering their usual urge to feed… but what?

Then she heard a voice.

"Get… back here… I'm not… done with you yet…!"

Crusadermon turned; Kamijou Touma was back on his feet. Blood still oozed from his missing arm, but he was stepping toward her. It was clear he was in no shape to continue, let alone win.

Nevertheless, he stood back up anyway. Crusadermon grew irritated.

"Insolent little… very well. To endure an attack from me and be able to force yourself back up, while futile, is worthy of some praise. As a reward, rather than letting you die on the floor in painful agony, I'll eliminate you completely."

Truth be told, she would much rather watch as the spiky-haired teen bled out on the ground, desperately trying to cling to life only for her to snuff it out personally.

However… something was very wrong. She could feel it.

The best course of action would be to kill him quickly.

She rushed him yet again, chambering her right arm.

"Fist of Athena!" She threw a punch, slamming the pile bunker into Kamijou Touma and firing a shot with it, causing a large fiery explosion on contact. She used multiple rounds, each one making a larger explosion than the last, attempting to ensure her targets death.

However…

"What… the hell…!?" Crusadermon cursed. Despite her attack, Kamijou Touma remained standing, despite her pile bunker shield being aimed right at his face.

The reason was simple…

Something caught it.

Blood had stopped flowing from the stub that was Touma's right arm. And in its place, the head and neck of a dragon had appeared. Crusadermon's arm was caught in the beast's maw, which was slowly biting down on her pile bunker.

Cracks began to appear in the weapon she wielded due to the monster's crushing grip. The knight digimon's reaction was immediate.

" **Spiral Masquerade!"** Her streamers whipped the dragon head repeatedly, causing the monster to roar angrily. Eventually the dragon released her arm to bite at the knight digimon's head, but she was quick to leap back out of the monster's range.

"What… the hell are you!?" Crusadermon spat. She received no response to her query, as the neck of the dragon simply lengthened dramatically, allowing the head to give chase as it repeatedly attempted to devour her.

And the fact that the dragon's jaw strength was able to crack the pile bunker she wielded gave her the impression that the monster was more than capable of doing just that.

In destroying the Imagine Breaker to humiliate its owner, she had unleashed a terrifying monster.

"You… this boy… what the hell are you!?" She shouted again, but the dragon simply roared and gave chase. The only advantage she held was that her speed was far greater, something she noted as she dodged to the side after the head charged at her. She unloaded a round from her pile bunker into the side of the dragon's head, but it did little damage, although it was able to forcefully move it.

She couldn't damage it directly; its hide was too thick. However, she could force it out of her way. Her strategy was clear.

If she couldn't kill the monster, then she'd have to destroy where it was coming from.

With her plan decided upon, she began to race toward the unlucky Kamijou. The dragon gave chase and tried to coil around her, but she leapt up and shot a round into the dragon's head to knock it away to give herself an opening.

However, as she did so, the impossible happened.

Seven more dragon heads sprouted from Kamijou Touma's severed arm, and began to bear down on her.

She discharged her pile bunker in the air to propel herself away, but the main head suddenly came up from below and struck her in the back, sending her flying. Crusadermon slammed into the ground, but managed to force herself back up.

Only to be greeted by all eight dragons staring at her. Each one looked different, some lacking jaws or eyes, and some resembling worms more than reptiles.

It was absolutely absurd.

"This is some kind of cruel joke… isn't it?" Crusadermon cursed. "You're pressuring me… me of all people; one of the Royal Knights! You had this power from the very beginning!?"

Once more, neither the beasts nor the unlucky Kamijou answered her. The dragons simply roared and began to charge at the knight digimon yet again, this time from all directions available.

She wasn't finished, but that blow she received did a surprising amount of damage.

One dragon she could deal with by strategically forcing it aside, but eight?

It was completely out of the question.

Still, she held up her arm, determined to fight.

However, just as the dragons were about to strike, they vanished without a trace.

"…What…?" Crusadermon spoke in utter disbelief. Each one had disappeared without warning; only the destruction of the area they left behind remained.

The reason became clear rather quick; Kamijou Touma had finally lost consciousness and had collapsed onto the floor…

…But his right arm had returned as if Crusadermon had never struck it.

"You must be joking…" The knight digimon spat as she moved toward the boy with her pile bunker ready. "He had all of that… and saved it as a last resort only to pass out before the killing blow, huh…?" Crusadermon stood over the spiky-haired teen.

She reeled back her right arm and thrust it downward, attempting to puncture Touma's body with her pile bunker.

"Rapidmon! **Tri-Beam!"** A golden triangular-shaped blast of energy erupted from the pathway leading to the elevator, striking the knight digimon. It forced her back, but it actually did minimal damage, at least in comparison to the mysterious dragons anyway.

From the path, Aiba Ami ran out followed by her digimon. Rapidmon was the digivolution of one of her partner digimon, Gargomon. He looked somewhat similar to his prior form, although he was much slimmer and covered in green armor except for a select few places, namely his face. He was an ultimate-level digimon.

"…You…!" Crusadermon cursed. She appeared recognize the girl before her, though the Cyber Sleuth didn't know how, but that was the least of her concerns.

"You're the one responsible for this, aren't you?" Ami asked as she ran into the room, separating the knight digimon and Touma. Her other two digimon appeared next to her Rapidmon, who had also digivolved since she and the unlucky Kamijou had last met. Her Togemon had become a Lilymon, much like Aogami's own, although she appeared to be much more confident. Her Guardromon had transformed into Andromon, a lean metallic humanoid digimon, although he appeared incomplete.

Crusadermon cursed internally. Not due to the trio of ultimate level digimon in front of her however.

Rather, the boy that laid comatose next to Ami. Dealing with ultimate digimon would certainly be within her power, even in her damaged state, but doing so would need time.

And in that time, Kamijou Touma could potentially awaken. If he unleashed that power again…

It was too risky.

Crusadermon turned away from Ami and ran towards the giant hand in the middle of the area.

"Stop right there! Rapidmon, **Rapid Fire!** Go!" Ami ordered. Rapidmon nodded and held out his arms, firing off missiles in rapid succession. Crusadermon ran and jumped up the hand, just narrowly dodging the barrage, which collided and ripped the hand apart, causing it to collapse.

Crusadermon was nowhere to be found after its destruction.

"Damn… what was that digimon doing here…?" Ami asked herself. With the threat gone however she turned her attention to the spiky-haired teen lying next to her. She checked his pulse and found that he was alive and breathing, but unresponsive.

"…Hey, how is he?"

Ami turned to see Hamazura standing over her shoulder, holding his side. He had a nasty bruise where Crusadermon kicked him. He was curious as to where Ami came from, but there were simply more important things on his mind at the moment.

"Alive… but completely and totally out of it." Ami shook her head.

"Fuckin' hell…" Hamazura cursed. He looked around and the room, eyeing his surroundings carefully. His Firamon had recalled himself to his Digivice.

But Touma's Dorugamon did not. The beast digimon sluggishly rose to his feet, almost stumbling over in the process. He took his time looking around before walking over to his master's side.

Dorugamon licked Touma's head gently, but began to frown when the unlucky Kamijou didn't react to it.

"Don't worry big guy… we'll take care of him." Ami replied, petting Dorugamon gently. She slowly lifted Touma up, taking one of his arms and putting it over her shoulder. "How about you? You alright?" She turned to face Hamazura.

"…I can walk, but I don't think I'm in any shape to help haul the boss… but if we can get him out of this hellhole we can get an ambulance here." Hamazura replied. "If we get him to the elevator, we can take it up and maybe Takitsubo or Fräulein can help… hell, Fräulein might be able to do it on her own."

"Ok, I can probably take him that far." Ami nodded. "Actually, it might be a little easier than that." She spoke as her Rapidmon took Touma's other arm, seemingly eager to help as he was smiling.

As they began walking however, the area began to shake.

The digital landscape began to fade in and out, and suddenly everything was enveloped in a purple light as a loud screeching sound rippled out in every direction.

The Digital Shift had ended.

 **-Kamishiro HQ-**

"That pleasure trip turned into a complete wash… I feel sweaty…" Kishibe Rie spoke as she walked back into her office.

"I disagree; you gave me some valuable data." Suedou Akemi replied. "To think it could reverse the effects of a digital shift, even though only in part… despite it being technologically induced, the effect is supernatural enough to qualify was a valid target. Most interesting…"

"Of course you're excited…" Rie sighed. "Well, if you went on a data collection spree, how about those things that popped out of the boy's arm?"

"That is… hrm…" Akemi trailed off. "I'm… not sure. I registered that their appearance had the exact opposite effect that Imagine Breaker had on Eaters, as in the dragons drove them away… it was almost as if they were afraid of the monsters produced when you severed the Imagine Breaker from him… I'm afraid that is a completely new discovery."

"…Is that so?" Rie sat down at her desk. "…To think something with that much power was just hidden away in a typical teenager…"

As she began to think, her phone began to ring. The number was unlisted, so she ignored it.

However, the third time the same number called her she decided to answer.

"What the hell is it!? You're harassing an innocent woman on a private line!" She spat angrily.

"Strike one." A voice replied on the other side.

"…Pardon?"

"Strike one. You invaded my city… this is not new. You caused abnormal phenomena; this is also not new. However… you saw something you weren't supposed to see in that digital labyrinth you created."

"Who is this?" Rie's tone turned form angry to serious.

"Someone who has been keeping a sharp eye on you." The voice replied. "I have no quarrel with you or your company… or even that land from which you hail from. But know this… I will not tolerate a repeat of this day."

"Who… the hell…?"

"Stay far away from Kamijou Touma, and we shall not speak again." The man on the other side hung up immediately after.

 **-A Certain Hospital-**

"And here I am again… such misfortune…" Touma sighed.

When the digital shift ended, all three of those in the basement found themselves back in the ITEM apartment as if they had never left. However, Touma was still unconscious, and an ambulance was called for both Touma and Hamazura.

Ami asked what happened, and lucky for her, a certain magic god popped out of Touma's coat pocket, and was present for the entire encounter.

However, Ami's reaction to the tiny Othinus was… less then desirable.

A few days had passed, and Hamazura had already been discharged from the hospital, but Touma was kept in house due to some unexpected damage around his ribs from Crusadermon's punch.

It was likely he was going to be staying in the hospital for at least a week.

"At least you're alive, human." Othinus commented. She was sitting on the pillow Touma was resting his head on.

"Where's Index?" Touma asked.

"She was in earlier… but I think the doctor told her about food in the cafeteria and she ran off about a half hour ago." Othinus replied.

"…That makes sense." Touma sighed.

A knock came at his door.

"Hey! How you feeling?" Ami popped her head into the hospital room.

"Aiba-san? What are you doing here?" Touma blinked.

"Well… when you can travel across the entire digital network that spans the whole globe… the concept of distance kind of goes away, you know?" Ami replied, stepping into the room. She appeared to be carrying some kind of basket.

"Good point…" Touma replied.

"At least her misfortune has gifted her with a rather useful ability in this day and age." Othinus commented with a nod.

"…I-it's the cursed talking doll again!" Ami shouted.

"I am NOT a cursed doll!" Othinus spat.

"You are kind of cursed; you don't go down to an average height to fifteen centimeters without some kind of curse shenanigans." Touma whistled.

"Might I remind you that I am in this state because of you!?" Othinus shouted.

"It's better than being dead, right?"

"Of course, but that doesn't change the facts!"

"Then let's go on a quest to get you retired to normal size then." Touma commented.

"If that happens the entire world will be at our front door you idiot!" Othinus shouted.

"I… think he's messing with you." Ami stated.

"Of course he is, but the fact he's doing it is what's pissing me off!" Othinus cried out again. Touma simply had a sheepish smile on his face… at least he did before the tiny magic god suddenly began to twist his ear.

Despite the unlucky Kamijou's cries of pain however, Ami began to laugh.

"You two seem really close. You must have been through a lot together." She commented. The two on the bed simply exchanged glances before nodding.

"More than you could ever know." Touma sighed. Ami held out the basket she was carrying and set it in Touma's lap. "For me?"

"Yup! From me mostly, and a little bit from Sanada-san too." Ami replied.

It was full of a bunch of various store-bought sweets and bakery goods… and a manga of some kind? That one must have been from Arata; it even had a note that read, "Hey, if you're going to be in the hospital, then you'll need something to pass the time. This is one of my favorite series, I hope you like it!"

"Sanada-san, huh? Didn't expect that…" Touma asked.

"Yeah; he's a bit of a worrywart about his friends, so when I mentioned I was going to be paying you a visit, he practically begged me to let him in on it." Ami replied.

"Friends, huh…" Touma stated. "Well… we have been keeping in contact recently… I guess I didn't really consider it until now."

"He's fairly reliable… so how you feeling? Nothing life threatening, right?" Ami asked.

"No… but I'm stuck here for another four days… such misfortune." Touma sighed.

"Better four days than four months, human." Othinus chimed in.

"I know, I know…" Touma grumbled.

"That's great; glad I managed to slide in for the good news!" Ami replied. "Listen, I need to get going soon, but I'll be back later, ok? Work is work, after all."

"You don't have to make special trips up just to see me, you know. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were doting on me or something." Touma smiled.

"Well… I did find you out cold on the ground with some blood everywhere… so maybe I'm doing it just a little bit out of concern…?" Ami smiled and scratched her cheek. "Considering unusual circumstances lead me to being… like this… especially after seeing my own body in a hospital bed back in Tokyo…"

"I see what you mean… I'll bear with it… and thanks for the gift basket." Touma smiled.

However, a negative vibe began to wash over the room.

"…So Touma is at it again… and even got to the point where she's giving him goodies, huh…?"

Index had half of her head poking into the door and was glaring at the unlucky Kamijou.

"…Huh? Index? Back already- GAH!" Touma shouted out when Index suddenly launched herself at the unlucky Kamijou and began to bite him.

"H-hey! Calm down, he's injured!" Ami shouted.

"No lewding the cyber-space detective, Toumaaaaaaaa!" Index began biting the unlucky Kamijou again.

"L-lewding!? W-what the hell are you talking about!?" Ami began to blush red.

"…Not much really changes around here." Othinus shrugged.

"I-Index! Calm down! I don't even know- OW! Was that my ear!? Don't twist it or you'll rip it oooooooffffff!" Touma shouted in vain as Index continued to assault the unlucky Kamijou.

Moreover, due to the tossing and turning of the incident, his stay in the hospital was extended by another two days.

There was only one way to comment on such a situation.

…Such misfortune.

* * *

 **And Here we are, at the Bottom.**

 **So! Quite a surprising encounter, huh? Kamishiro taking an interest, A Digital Shift, and an encounter with everyone's secret beast! Plus, worked in some little bits here and there. This is one of my personal favorite chapters for a lot of reasons... I hope you can see them.**

 **Sorry for a little delay on this one's upload; tad bit hectic right now. But I still made it! Kind of!**

 **I Hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	9. Rebels, Rebels, Rebels

**Another week, another chapter! Yes; two story updates in a row! This is a gift from me to you!**

 **Before we begin... more review responses!**

 _whwsms:_ Fraulein was a fun part to do; playing around with her ability to eat data was a fun idea that I wanted to do at least once. It seems like your enjoying this unusual romp, huh? Aside from Index being... well, Index.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Glad you thought as highly of this chapter as I have! Though as for who the other person on the line was... fufu!

 _Guest (1):_ While possible, this is kind of unlikely. I'd need to have ideal antagonists and reasons for them to be involved to do something like that. Last Order got into trouble again, but was happily saved! Seems like it worked out, huh?

 _Windraider:_ Yeah... I haven't played around with the other beings... mostly because I know very little about them. The Dragons I know, those other entities I do not.

 _Mr. X:_ I think Takitsubo does curse on occasion... but you are right; I fudged on her hair color. As for the dragons, I linked them to his consciousness on purpose... because as you said, they would have kept going and wreaked Crusadermon. And on the topic if flag raising... i'll never tell! Fufu!

 _Guest (2):_ He gets around.

 _toumakamijou900:_ Funny that you should mention that...

 _WilliamZ0:_ Well, glad to have you back. I can tell your more familiar with the normal Cyber Sleuth crew and thus would enjoy interactions with them more... hopefully this chapter gives you a best of both worlds, situation. I know this story operates a lot on assumed knowledge, but without upfront covering the other two routes as well, it's the only way this story can go unfortunately. All and all, Glad your still into this. And your Nokia prayers may be answered soon!

 _someperson:_ Classic Indeed.

 _NeoShadows:_ Glad you enjoyed the ride so far! Your one of the few people who have taken notice of Hiraku so far, and that makes me happy. Touma and Accelerator's back and forth was fun to do; everyone does a deep, dark, withdrawn Accelerator, kind of ignoring the growth he's had since his inception, so I'm glad that the idea of Accelerator guilt-tripping Touma was entertaining. And of course, Rie's appearance and eventual retreat. Glad your still enjoying this!

 _Guest (3):_ Happy new year to you too!

 _wiliamsusanto:_ As said: happy new year! Yeah, that whole group would annihilate his funds. I hadn't used the Dragons for a while... glad to see them again. As for Touma venturing outside of Academy City... you'll see. And yes; Othinus had a front row seat!

 **With that done... I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"So… this is EDEN…"

"I can't believe you talked me into this…"

The scene was simple to describe; Kamijou Touma was standing in the middle of the EDEN entrance, just as he did the very first time he had logged in, and was showing a new user around at a rather leisurely pace.

And that new user was a certain Magic God that proudly rested on the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder.

In light of seeing how chaotic Touma's digital adventures were getting inside of the Academy City Digital Shift, Othinus demanded that she be included as well. Of course, Touma refused at first, but since he was trapped in a hospital bed with the tiny magic god at his side at all times, Touma had few options if he wanted any peace and quiet.

Othinus was not above annoying the spiky-haired teen while he was trying to sleep, much to his misfortune.

So he forked over what little cash he had for a Digivice for the blond-haired god. Othinus was amused at the prospect of being returned to a more normal size in the digital platform, but the system didn't treat her small stature as an outlier, and as such her avatar matched her normal 15CM height.

She acted as if she was mad, but she still enjoyed riding on the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder.

"Anyway… this is the EDEN entrance. I know it's not much, but this is where everyone starts off." Touma stated.

"…I see, I think I can understand why that digital shift was possible. The structure of this EDEN is very similar to that of a phase." Othinus commented.

"A… Phase? You mean the layers over the world…?" Touma asked. Othinus nodded.

"The very same… though how it behaves is different, it's the same principle. The digital waves emitted due to EDEN's existence affects the world, very much like a phase. And the more the waves are concentrated, the greater the effect…" Othinus crossed her arms. "…A man-made phase… and one that can be directly traveled to through a method very much like astral projection… these are concepts drenched in the occult yet are replicated through technology…"

"Humans have come a long way since you've been around." Touma commented.

"Do you even know how old I am?" Othinus asked.

"…I figured you wouldn't want to say due to your pride as a woman…" Touma replied. For his wise crack, Othinus bit his ear. "Ow! Come on, it was a joke."

"Idiot. As if I could be perturbed by the idea of age." The tiny magic god huffed. "Passage of time hardly affects me, so why would it matter?"

"…So that's why you still look like you're fourteen."

"Say that again and I'll tear off your ear lobe." Othinus threatened. Despite the threat, Touma laughed.

"Anyway… that's this area, satisfied?" The unlucky Kamijou asked.

"I suppose… though I'd like to see this "Kowloon" area you keep mentioning." Othinus stated.

"Eh… I'd rather not… each time I head down there, bad things happen…" Touma stated. "Can't we head somewhere else instead?"

"You already know the answer to that."

"Yeah… yeah I do; a guy can dream, after all." Touma sighed and wandered over to the logout zone, and it wasn't long before they had departed, sights set on the first level of Kowloon.

The trip was rather uneventful until they hit the junk plaza. A group of hackers were gathered around a girl with red hair. On the surface, one could assume that it was some kind of mugging, but as the girl was actually smiling and talking with them calmly, it appeared that it was just a group of friends.

Strangely, one of them was wearing a blue Hudie jacket.

"That's odd…" Touma crossed his arms.

"Something wrong?" Othinus asked. "Do you recognize them?"

"No… just one of them is wearing something a friend of mine typically has on is all. Seemed out of place." Touma replied.

The male he was referring to had wavy blond hair, yellow eyes and as mentioned, a blue jacket with the Hudie insignia. Under his jacket, he wore a simple blue shirt, and finished off his simple appearance with black pants. He appeared to be in his early twenties, so he stood out in the group of teenage hackers like a sore thumb.

The man turned and caught a glimpse of the unlucky Kamijou, and appeared to recognize him and began to walk towards the two.

"Well, fancy meeting you here. What brings the mysterious Kamijou Touma to Kowloon today?" The blond asked. "Been hearing rumors all about you all over the place… you off to rescue a damsel in distress? That one has been passed around a few times, let me tell you."

"…You're not, are you?" Othinus turned with a deadpan expression.

"D-do you even need to ask that!?" Touma shouted.

"Yes; yes I do." The tiny magic god replied. The blond male began to laugh.

"Your girlfriend has you figured out, my man. Sorry to say that your days of skirt chasing are probably over." He stated with a smile. Both Touma and Othinus began to blush red.

"W-we're not dating!" Touma shouted. The magic god however kept quiet and simply closed her eyes.

"Man, it's cool! Though the size-fetish thing you got going by moding your girl's avatar's height is odd, I'm not one to judge! You do you, man; enjoy yourself!" The blond stated.

"…I'm always like this." Othinus stated.

"Sure, sure. Filling the role-play; I get it." The male stated. "Name's Imai Chitose, heard you've been working with our rookie." Touma wanted to correct the blond just as much as Othinus did about their relationship, but both of them came to the conclusion that their attempts would be pointless.

"R-right… how do you know me, Imai-san?" Touma asked.

"Please; just Chitose is fine! Don't need to be so formal." Chitose stated. "I was actually running support for Keisuke-kun when you two first met, so I got a good look at you through his eyes. Plus I heard about the scrap with Machina Revolution."

"Hah… figures… you heard about that…" Touma sighed. "I… didn't do much in the end though."

"Don't sweat it; sometimes the help needed isn't muscle. You got that monster of an esper to come with after all. Plus, without you, we wouldn't have had even the smallest of clues on where to start looking for them." Chitose replied.

"If you say so…" Touma shrugged. "Right now I'm just showing Othinus around. She just joined EDEN today and wanted to see where I go."

"Fair enough. Othinus is a cute name, by the way!" Chitose smiled.

"…It's Nordic." The tiny magic god replied.

"Nordic? That's super rare… and now that you mention it, your girlfriend doesn't look Japanese…" The blond male mused.

"How we met is complicated… and she's not my girlfriend." Touma replied.

"Don't have to be embarrassed man. Love is a beautiful thing; share it, don't hide it!" Chitose smiled, continuing to misunderstand the situation.

Touma was about to retort when another person barged into the conversation.

"Hey, Chitose! We are planning, what are you doing over here!?" The redheaded girl from the crowd of hackers walked toward the two.

Now that Touma could actually get a good look at her, she actually appeared rather cute in addition to being around his age group. She had blue eyes and her red hair was long enough to reach her shoulders, and was tied into pigtails on both sides as well. She wore a pink jacket over a short revealing blue dress with the sides only held together by strings in an "X" formation. She also wore gray stockings that went up to her thighs with black garter straps connecting to the blue dress.

"Ah, sorry! I saw this guy and I just had to say hi! He's a bit of a legend back home, so I had to meet him myself." Chitose rubbed the back of his head.

"…Wait, I'm a legend?" Touma shouted.

"Yeah; no one gets into quite as much trouble as you." Chitose crossed his arms and smiled. Touma simply let out a heavy sigh as the redhead gave him a look over.

"…Not bad looking; the hair would have to go though." She stated.

"W-what's wrong with my hair!?" The spiky haired teen shouted.

"Nah; hair is fine. It's super rebellious; just perfect for a group called the rebels, right?" Chitose chimed in.

"Oh! Yeah, that's right! Never mind; your hair is perfect! I'd have to get used to it though…" The girl stated.

"I… what?" Touma scratched his head.

"The girl is an airhead." Othinus stated flatly.

"Bgwah!? A-a talking doll!?" The redhead shouted. "I-I thought it was weird you had a nearly-nude girl on your shoulder, but…"

"Ok, I've had enough." Touma groaned and turned toward the exit.

"W-wait! Don't go!" The girl called out. "If you're a legend, we could really use you! Want to join our hacker team?"

"…What? I don't even know who you are!" Touma shouted. Chitose began to laugh.

"Sorry for the confusion." He stated. "This here is Shiramine Nokia, leader of a small new group called the Rebels."

"You can just call me Akkino though; that's been my nickname since I was a kid." The redhead smiled.

"Ok… um… Akkino-san?" Touma rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not much of a hacker to be honest… so thanks for the offer, but I'm fairly certain I'd just slow you down."

"Aw, for real?" Nokia crossed her arms and pouted.

"It's true; he's more of a friend of a friend to be honest. Dude has some skill to act as muscle, but his actual hacking ability is right around zero. Sorry." Chitose replied.

"Oh… fine." Nokia sighed. "Still, thanks for at least hearing me out. Not a lot of people will listen to us right now."

"It's fine, sorry I couldn't be more useful…" Touma trailed off. He was about to say something else when a thought came to mind. "…Chitose-san? Aren't you with Hudie though? What are you doing with these guys?"

Chitose's normally chipper face took a much more downtrodden one.

"Things are… a little tense back at home." The blond crossed his arms. "Some personal stuff is kicking up behind the scenes… and that whole Under Zero business isn't exactly making things easier…"

"Under… Zero? What's that?" Touma asked.

"The oldest EDEN Server, some call it the Hacker's holy land. It's also known as the Valhalla Server." Chitose replied. "Yuugo's gone and stirred up the hives nest by saying that he's going to take it, and just about every hacker group is getting in on it one way or another. It's a real mess…"

"Every hacker, huh…" Touma crossed his arms. "Something… is giving me really bad vibes. I don't like it."

"You're not thinking of heading down, are you?" Chitose asked. "I've done that trip before even digimon were a thing; I'd forget about it if I were you. It'd take a pro hacker team to get through it, and you just by yourself…"

"It's not that," Touma replied. "If everyone is going to be there…"

"…Ah, I think I get it then. You thinking of Machina Revolution." Chitose crossed his arms. "You guys did a nasty number on them, but it has been a week or two… they could have reorganized. Everyone who's a serious hacker heard Yuugo's announcement… you think they'd take a swing at it?"

"Considering their main plan went up in smoke, whatever is so important in Under Zero might be a last resort option for whatever their grand scheme is…" Touma stated. "…I think I'm going to go probe around their private server for a bit."

"They probably moved house, you know." Chitose stated.

"Probably… but it'd give me some peace of mind at least." The spiky haired teen replied. "Like you said, I'm no match for whatever Under Zero has in store, but heading to their server and finding nothing would just make me feel better about the whole thing."

"…Alright, that makes sense. In that case, want some company?" Chitose asked. "Just about everyone else got to chill with you, so I'm feeling a little left out." He chuckled lightly.

"I mean… I really can't stop you if you want to come." Touma shrugged.

"Now you're starting to understand how stuff works around here." The blond grinned. "Hey, Akkino-san! Sorry to bail, but I'm going to tag along with my friend here. I should be back later if we haven't decided on anything."

"Well… I think everyone's mostly agreed on a frontal assault… hehe…" Nokia replied.

"That's… not much of a plan…" Chitose laughed nervously.

"But… I heard what you two were talking about… Machina Revolution…" The redhead pondered for a moment. "…Alright! Count me in!"

"E-eh? You want to come?" Touma blinked.

"You know, I did say that we're probably not going to be finding anything…" Chitose sighed.

"But you MIGHT find something, right?" Nokia replied. "These guys might cause trouble for us too; it's best to know your enemy, right?" She proudly proclaimed with her hands on her hips.

"…Sorry, she is a tad bit of an airhead. Please bear with her for a little while." Chitose whispered.

"At least she's positive…" Touma sighed. "Well, I'm heading out. Sooner this gets done, the better."

"…You sure do meet some unusual people, human." Othinus commented.

 **-Machina Revolution Server-**

"This place is… a little creepy…" Nokia commented.

"Well, there is a lot of purple and not a lot of people… so I can see how it can be a little unsettling." Touma replied. The three had just arrived in the mostly deserted server. The three had begun walking down the main path towards the main sanctuary deep in the server.

Chitose had some helpful information: Zaxon had done a thorough search of the server and had found that most of the winding paths all lead to dead ends, with the only real areas of significance being the main route Touma had traversed before. So thankfully, they wouldn't have to spend all day coaming every inch of the server; the only areas that would have anything would be the main path as it lead to the inner sanctum.

Therefore, they walked forward, being careful to ignore the various dead-end paths… or at least, they tried to.

"…Akkino-san, what are you doing?" Touma asked.

"N-nothing… n-nothing at all." Nokia replied.

"You say that… but you've latched yourself to my left arm…" Touma pointed out. True to his word, Nokia had grabbed ahold of Touma's arm and held onto it, walking abnormally close to the unlucky Kamijou as Chitose walked behind them.

"L-listen… I might… have watched a scary movie last night… and it might… have had a similar setting to this situation…" Nokia replied. She pulled his arm closer to her and this time the spiky-haired teen began to blush.

"I-I get being scared, but have some self-control!" Touma replied.

"What's the problem? It's just your arm and I'll only hold on until I get used to it!" The redhead shot back.

"T-that's not the issue! You've pulled me so close that I can feel them, you know!?" Touma shouted. Curious, Nokia looked down to see what he was talking about.

Turns out that she had pulled his arm close enough that it rested right in-between her rather large breasts.

"…K-kyaa! Pervert!" Nokia screamed, her face turning bright red.

"M-me a pervert!? You're the one doing it! And you're still doing it too! Let go of my arm!" Touma shouted back.

"L-listen here you-" Nokia started but was suddenly interrupted.

By a rather loud roar of a monster from somewhere inside the server.

In response… Nokia appeared to disregard the entire aspect of shame.

"F-fine! I don't mind! Feel them all you like! J-just don't leave me alooooonnnnneeeee!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and hugged Touma's right arm closer to herself.

"What kind of reaction is that!? Get off of me!" Touma shouted. "C-Chitose-san, can you give me a hand here!?"

The unlucky Kamijou turned as best as he could to find the blond hacker simply stood with his arms crossed.

"…You know, you're pretty good."

"That doesn't help me at all!" Touma shouted. In response, Chitose chuckled lightly.

"But you know what that does mean?" He asked. "That roar was from some kind of digimon; there weren't any wild digimon here the two times you were here before, right?"

"…You're… right actually. It's just been the members who we've ran into so far." Touma blinked, processing the information.

"Which means either some squatters have moved in… or we're about to find some clues." Chitose stated.

"Think they could be around picking up things to transport to wherever their new hideout is?" Touma asked.

"Should just be able to transfer everything digitally … but a lot of these guys are full of unknowns and exceptions…" The blond crossed his arms.

"Then let's keep moving… but seriously, let go of me, Akkino-san!" Touma shouted. After some convincing and prying of a certain redheaded girl, the group pressed on. Chitose noted the complete and utter lack of previously installed security programs.

It was a ghost town.

Eventually they reached the inner sanctum, but it was empty as well.

"Is… t-this where that roar came from?" Nokia nervously asked.

"It is, but nothings here now…" Touma crossed his arms. "Not even a trace."

"Looks like they are packing up to move… but maybe they sent their digimon to do it for them?" Chitose commented. "Either way though, they really don't need to be physically present… so why were they here at all?"

"Well… call me crazy, but what if they aren't just doing that? What if they're looking for something instead?" Nokia suggested.

"Could be… but what?" Chitose asked. Touma slowly walked over towards the middle of the room. There was a noticeable black mark in the middle.

The place where Samson's Kimeramon had died.

"…If a digimon where to be deleted… would there be anything left behind?" Touma asked.

"If it's not a complete deletion, there might be some residual data… wait…" Chitose trailed off. "I heard what happened here; them fusing a digimon together but it died not long after, right?"

"That's right… so if some of Kimeramon's data was left behind…" The spiky haired teen turned back around to walk back over to the group.

Just as he did though, a digimon suddenly appeared, charging at the unlucky Kamijou from behind.

"Ankylomon!" Chitose shouted. A large armored dinosaur digimon, strongly resembling the four-legged Ankylosaurus, suddenly appeared and swung its tail at the attacking digimon, slamming the spike ball on its tail into the offending digimon's head and sending it back.

It was quickly discovered to be an Okuwamon.

"Figured that wouldn't work… but sometimes you just have to try." Another figure appeared as if he were fading into existence.

The key characteristic was his Japanese general's hat.

"…Oh god damn it, not you again!" Touma shouted. "Don't you know when to give it up!? This is what; the fourth time we've met!?"

"Ok, seriously, what's with that!? It's not like your killing me off every single time! What's so hard to believe about me licking my wounds and coming back!? This isn't a shonen battle manga where there's a new villain every day of the week you piece of shit!" Hiraku shouted.

"Might want to back off, mid-boss-kun." Chitose stated.

"Mid-boss-kun!? Oh you are asking for it you blond bastard!" Hiraku head immediately snapped toward Chitose with a glare.

"Yeah seriously. Your Okuwamon is neat, but against us it's not very special." Touma crossed his arms. "Me and Chitose-san can take him."

"Oh? Then let's spice things up!" Hiraku shouted. At his word, two additional digimon spawned. One resembled a large chicken, while the other appeared to be a large bird covered in pitch-black flames. "Kokatorimon! Saberdramon! A couple of champions makes things a little more intense, doesn't it!?"

"…Akkino-san, you have digimon, right?" Touma asked.

"Of course I do; I have two." Nokia quickly answered.

"So it's still the same; we got you out-numbered pal." Touma sighed and rubbed his neck.

To be honest, he liked Hiraku's enthusiasm but he was starting to genuinely feel sorry for him. His luck was starting to feel just as bad as his.

"Is that so!? Then let's try this!" Hiraku snapped his fingers, and at his command, around twenty different men and women appeared a fair distance behind the mage.

They were clearly other members of the cabal. Their respective digimon appeared not long after them and stood ready in-between their masters and the loud wind mage.

"…On the other hand, that is a little bit concerning…!" Touma backed up on reflex. His Dorugamon spawned next to him with a proud cry, standing ready for a fight.

"That's right! Where's your numbers advantage now!? And I don't see that Accelerator guy around anywhere! You ready for a real beat down!?" Hiraku shouted loud.

His announcement was followed by over the top laughter… but not from Hiraku.

"I see… so these are the guys then? Ohohohoho!" Nokia laughed rather openly.

"You laughing at me!? What's so funny!?" Hiraku shouted.

"Heehee~ don't worry guys, Akkino-chan will take care of this!" The redhead walked forward and stood proud with her hands on her hips. "As if the leader of the Rebels would back down when she can handle everything herself!"

"Real confident, aren't you?" The mage frowned. "You said you only had two; think you can take all of us just with two!?"

"Of course… after all; its question of quality over quantity!" Nokia proclaimed. "Wargreymon! MetalGarurumon! Get out here and show us your stuff!"

Two digimon appeared next to Nokia. The first was a large humanoid covered in gold and silver armor with red markings. Its feet had three large red claws and its exposed skin was orange. It wore two large gauntlets that extended up to its elbow, each with three black metallic claws. On its back, what appeared to be two halves of a shield with an insignia rested, appearing somewhat like wings. Its head was obscured by armor, but green eyes could be seen as well as red hair towards the back of its head.

The second greatly resembled a cybernetic wolf as it stood on four legs. Each paw had long red claws, and its armor was blue except for underbelly, which was a bright yellow. Its tail was some kind of blade, and two long boosters extending from its upper back could also be seen, and finally it stared forward with its red eyes.

These two were WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon; a set of Mega-level Digimon.

"It's been awhile since we got into a fight… I'm kind of excited!" WarGreymon spoke.

"Yeah, same here! I was wondering with Akkino was going to send us out! Let's do it!" MetalGarurumon spoke up next.

"T-they both can talk!?" Touma asked. While meeting Digimon capable of speech was not uncommon, seeing two at once was certainly rare.

"I don't care if they start singing! Okuwamon, Kokatorimon, Saberdramon! Mess them up!" Hiraku shouted. His three digimon charged straight ahead. MetalGarurumon ran to the side, avoiding them completely, while WarGreymon took to the air, avoiding the three's forward charge entirely.

" **Gaia Force!"** WarGreymon shouted loud and proud with his arms in the air. A large mass of energy formed in-between the digimon's arms, eventually growing larger than he was, before throwing it straight down towards Hiraku's partners.

All three were engulfed entirely before the energy exploded, sending all three of them flying right back toward Hiraku, unconscious.

"Y-you've got to be kidding me!" Hiraku shouted. "Alright, no more wasting time! Let's take them all out together!" He signaled his allies to charge ahead.

However, their fate was sealed before they could even attack.

" **Grace Cross Freezer!"** MetalGarurumon stood tall as several parts of his armor opened up, revealing a wide array of fully armed missile batteries underneath. Each one unleashed a full barrage of missiles, each one veering off to hit the magi's respective digimon.

The projectiles exploded on contact, however they did not envelop the digimon in a sea of fire, but in fact a surge of ice instead, freezing a large majority of the opposing digimon in their tracks.

"W-where the hell do you meet these god damn people you bastard!?" Hiraku shouted in utter disbelief.

"…That's a good question…" Touma blinked. While the situation had turned for the better, it was beyond even his wildest expectations.

"…In that case…!" Hiraku shot up into the air at an angle, similarly to their previous encounter. His goal appeared to Nokia this time, and shot down toward her with chambered fists.

Unfortunately, he didn't see what her digimon were doing, and this caused him to slam headfirst into a descending WarGreymon's armored chest, hitting hard enough that he bounced right off like a ragdoll.

"…Oh no…!" Where the only words he could muster while in shock.

WarGreymon raised on arm and slammed the side of his gauntlet down on the wind mage. Hiraku hit the ground and bounced backward several times, eventually hitting the wall of frozen digimon, causing it to shatter and free them all.

However, none of them were fit for battle, and most of them fell over due to the damage taken from MetalGarurumon's barrage.

Moreover, a good number of them fell on top of Hiraku himself before they despawned too, effectively ending his resistance in one fell swoop.

"H-Hiraku is down!" One of the magi shouted.

"So are the rest of our digimon! Let's get out of here!"

"W-we got everything we need out of here anyway, right!?"

"We only have a few days to prepare! Someone pick up Hiraku!"

Therefore, the coalition of enemy magi scrambled to recover their respective digimon, as well as their commanding officer, and vanished into a variety of makeshift rifts.

"…Well, I guess we won." Touma blinked.

"Actually… she won." Chitose corrected, pointing at the redheaded girl next to them.

"Yes! Good job WarGreymon! MetalGarurumon!" Nokia called out. She even approached her WarGreymon and hugged his leg before doing the same to MetalGarurumon. Shortly after, the two Mega Level digimon returned to Nokia's Digivice. With the confrontation done, Chitose's Ankylomon did the same, though Touma's Dorugamon chose to remain manifested.

"…Yeah I won't argue with that." Touma shrugged. "Wish that guy would leave me alone though… he is really annoying…"

"Such is life… anyway, looks like they got what they were after in the end… plus it does seem like they will be getting involved with the affair down in Under Zero." Chitose crossed his arms. "One of them mentioned a few days… that links up with when Under Zero is happening. I don't know of any other events here in EDEN that they could be referring to."

"Think so…?" Touma crossed his arms. "That's… bad… considering what they pulled earlier…"

"Yeah, I'd hate to see what they could do during that chaos… man this is going south fast and it hasn't even started yet…" Chitose stated. "…Well, what are you going to do then?"

Touma opened his mouth to answer, but someone else spoke up for him.

"He's probably going to head straight there and get himself killed in the crossfire."

Touma turned toward the entrance of the inner sanctum to find a familiar brown-haired girl standing in place with her arms crossed.

"M-M-Misaka!? What are you doing here!?" Touma shouted.

"Following you. Caught you talking to some shady people with a serious look on your face and got a little suspicious…" She walked forward, not looking the slightest bit pleased. Dorugamon looked back and forth between the two, not sure what to think about the situation at hand.

"But how did you follow me? You shouldn't be able to get access here without the URL, right?" Touma backed up slowly.

"As if that's a problem for someone like me." Mikoto shot back. Electricity began to spark around her bangs before a bolt of lightning fired off toward the unlucky Kamijou. He quickly held out his right hand to negate it with Imagine Breaker.

"Did… she just shoot lightning from her forehead…!?" Nokia blinked.

"I… do believe she did…" Chitose did the same, just as confused.

In the end, both ended up backing away from the scene unfolding before them.

"…The tsundere is back." Othinus suddenly poked up from Touma's pocket. She had decided to keep to herself during all the commotion.

"D-don't go making her even madder!" Touma shouted. "Listen Misaka, I-I don't even know what you're angry about this time, but can we do this later?"

"What I'm angry about is that you're involved in yet ANOTHER situation and you didn't even think of letting me know that something was going on, let alone asking me for help! Are you trying to get yourself killed, you idiot!?" Mikoto began poking the unlucky Kamijou in the chest.

Dorugamon started to growl and eventually bit the Railgun's arm. However, rather than cry out in pain, Mikoto simply turned and glared at the beast digimon while sparking with electricity. Slowly, Dorugamon's ears began to droop before letting go of the level 5 and backing away slowly.

"L-listen… I just didn't want to bother you with- Ow!" Touma shouted in pain as Mikoto suddenly pinched his ear.

"Don't give me that! We've gone over this; I am more than happy to help shoulder whatever burdens you got, be it big or small. Or do you think I'm someone so weak that I can't help out my friends?" Mikoto asked.

"Well… no, of course not- nnggg!" The unlucky Kamijou cried out in pain as Mikoto twisted his ear.

"…Talk about lovers quarrel, am I right?" Chitose asked. Nokia nodded quickly, but the both of them began to shudder as the Railgun turned to glare at them next.

"…Listen, Misaka. I get where you're coming from, I really do," Touma began. "But this kind of thing isn't something I can just force on others… I'm going to Under Zero. All I'm after is to stop these guys from pulling whatever stunt they are planning; I could care less for the contents of the server. Understand? I'm not going to budge on this."

The two stared at each other for a time before Mikoto sighed and let go of the unlucky Kamijou.

"Fine… but on one condition," Mikoto crossed her arms. "I don't really know what Under Zero is, but I do know that it's bad news… so if you're heading down there, I'm coming with you, understood?"

"But-"

"No buts!" Mikoto stuck a finger into Touma's face. "I've dealt with far worse than a few digital servers. Besides… you're no hacker, and if you want to break into something like that, who's better to ask than a girl who can directly manipulate the electrons that make up this whole god damn place?" She stated as a little electricity flew off from her bangs.

"…She has a point. Everything here is digital, and everything digital is made up of electricity in some way. If she can directly manipulate them, she'll probably be the best sidekick to just about any hacking job." Chitose stated. "But… are you serious about heading down there?"

"I am… I can't just sit around knowing full well that they are going to try and cause harm to people when I could do something." Touma replied before turning his attention back to the brown-haired girl. "…If you coming is what it takes to get this done, then it's fine by me… like you said… I'm not much of a hacker…" He rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah; you kind of suck." Mikoto stated.

"No lie; you're pretty bad." Chitose nodded.

"G-gah… rubbing it in, huh…!?" Touma sighed. Chitose chuckled lightly.

"Alright, as long as you know what you're doing." The blond stated. He opened up his console and sent a message out to both Mikoto and Touma. "There's the URL; a direct link to the Valhalla server; Under Zero. Should be a fair bit easier than digging directly through Kamishiro's servers, eh?"

"You… have a direct link…?" Touma's eyed widened a little.

"Not to toot my own horn, but I used to be part of a really tight hacking group; this isn't my first time raiding that place, like I mentioned earlier." Chitose smiled briefly, but then turned serious. "That said, when the day comes, I'll be down there too… but my goals are a lot different from yours. I might not be able to lend a hand like I did today."

"I'm… in a similar position. I'd like to say that I could lend a hand, but…" Nokia frowned.

"That's fine; we'll cross those bridges when we come to them…" Touma crossed his arms. "…Really feels like everyone's fates are all tied to Under Zero, huh…"

"Starting to seem that way…" Chitose commented. "Well, then we better all get ready. It's going to be one hell of a wild ride."

With that, all four of them decided it was time to logout, satisfied with the day's events.

However, there was a shadow looming over the days to come, and there was much more going on behind the scenes than anyone could have ever anticipated.

* * *

 **The calm before the storm... The day is approaching fast where everything changes...**

 **Under Zero.**

 **...Good thing a certain zapper muscled her way into joining our unlucky Kamijou, huh?**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	10. All Paths Meet Here

**And here is Chapter 10. We're slowly getting through this, aren't we? We're roughly around the half-way point.**

 **Let's talk about some reviews, shall we?**

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Yeah... this is building to something, and it is actually the big event in the CS story, the events of Under Zero. Glad you liked the idea of Mikoto running around! Can't have Touma be the only Index character present, after all!

 _whwsms:_ Not even in the digital world and Othinus escape her size issue... And yeah; Hiraku is like a bad cold that keeps coming back... but it's for a reason! I'm just glad people are starting to notice the hot-head. He was a character who was definitely fun to make and have around.

 _WilliamZ0:_ Too each their own. I love both games, but I would be lying if I said I didn't like Hacker's Memory more; it hit me in a nice emotional spot hat was more than a little personal for me, especially with it somewhat implied that Keisuke did keep his memories too. Yes, Nokia finally appears; you just had to be patient! And he gives Hiraku a pounding... which is becoming a thing, as you'll see. I feel liek you have some negative bias toward Mikoto... keep in mind; her abilities are more than suited for hacking, as she has done on multiple occasions... and Touma's hacking ability is right around 0, and would otherwise be going in solo because... that how Touma rolls; leaving him often roadblocked a lot because hacking not his forte by a long shot. I can tell your not really fond of her... but try and set aside the bias if you can; she is definitely there for a reason, not just because I want her to be.

 _wolfking:_ You'll see! I got plenty of secrets to unveil here!

 _oshawottlover:_ I'm not telling anything! Most of the romantic options I'm leaving up for interpretations this time around.

 _Guest (1):_ The Chaos of Under Zero will soon be known... fufu!

 _Mr. X:_ I didn't say anything... because you were actually rather close to the money with those suggestions. Yeah; I tried to keep Nokia and Touma's interactions fun, as Touma is the straight man, Nokia is the airhead, and Chitose as the wingman; fun stuff. I don't want to tip my hand as to who does/doesn't appear... but those two specifically are unlikely. Seria because I'm not sure how to work her in, and Misaki because, even though I like her, due to her conditions with Touma, she's hard to have regularly involved... plus, Mental Out breaks the game, and this is more of an action story. Sorry about that.

 _wiliamsusanto:_ Yup! That mess is here! As for Kimeramon... you'll see... fufu!

 **With that taken care of... Enjoy!**

* * *

Only a few days passed before the invasion of Under Zero began.

Just as it started, one unlucky Kamijou arrived there as soon as he could. Chitose had actually been keeping him updated on the Zaxon side of things and let the spiky-haired teen know just when it began.

Even though it just started however, fighting was already breaking out.

Wild digimon were loose in the Valhalla server, likely some kind of security measure, but on top of that, rival hackers from other groups were duking it out with each other, trying to stall other teams from reaching the end first.

However, there was no sign of Machina Revolution.

Touma moved around quietly in-between the fighting factions, slithering his way slowly but surely toward the access point to the next floor, taking it without hesitation. The second floor was much like the first, filled with hackers and wild digimon. While maneuvering around, Touma could have sworn he saw a familiar face or two, but pressed on regardless; he had a job to do.

Upon reaching a red firewall however, something that had been nagging him in the back of his mind finally hit its peak.

"…Where is Misaka!? I can't move ahead without her!" Touma shouted, pounding on the firewall in a vain attempt to break through. "Oh come on… I sent her a text when I first got here… where is she…!?"

A few hard hits later, Touma sighed as he laid his head against the barrier in front of him. Not long after, a voice called out to him, but not one he was familiar with.

"Well… lookie here; someone made it to the end!"

"Too bad it's just a normie who can break through a level 1 fire wall; talk about pathetic, am I right?"

It was a pair of two male hackers. They didn't appear to be Zaxon, but they were clearly from the same team.

"…Such misfortune…" Touma uttered with depression quite clear in his voice. Dorugamon spawned next to him with a growl.

"What do you know? The loser does have a Digimon! Just a champion though… heh!" One of the hackers stated.

"That just means we get to have some fun first! What do you say we-"

Suddenly, both hackers lit up with a bright blue light, their bodies twitching incoherently; a reaction akin to electrocution. Eventually, both of the hacker's avatars vanished, likely deleted entirely, and a certain brown haired girl was standing right behind where the two unfortunate souls once stood.

"…Hey Misaka."

"I-I save your ass and that's all the thanks I get!?" Mikoto shouted.

"On one hand, I'm grateful. On the other, I'm annoyed that you showed up late." Touma deadpanned.

"L-late!? I was here before you, idiot!"

"That why didn't you say anything!?" Touma fired back. "I texted you four or five times! I even tried calling you, but there was no answer!"

"Those two were following you, so I was shadowing them to make sure they didn't pull anything before I could stop them! I did just save you, remember!?" Mikoto shouted.

For a brief moment, Touma was quiet.

"…You're right; and I thank you for that, Misaka." Touma replied. "…But that doesn't answer why you didn't text me back for any kind of warning."

The Railgun suddenly froze in place with an embarrassed blush across her face.

"…Anyway…"

"You intend to gloss over this, don't you?" Touma deadpanned.

"A-N-Y-W-A-Y!" Mikoto shouted. "Let me take care of that firewall before anyone else gets any bright ideas." Mikoto placed her hand on the firewall as sparks flew from her body. The barrier began to glitch out, changing in size, shape, and color repeatedly before it completely vanished as if it was never there. Compared to other instances of breaking through firewalls, this particular take down seemed odd, but it definitely got the job done.

"…So was that actually a level 1 security wall? Or…?" Touma asked.

"Nah; level four. Those two assholes were just talking crap." Mikoto stated. "But the ID code on that fire wall belongs to Kamishiro though… if that's accurate, then it's probably likely that no one has descended yet… should we even bother heading down deeper to look?"

"These guys and teleport around cyber space and around walls and obstacles like its nothing; even if a firewall was blocking the way down, a quick look around can't hurt. Worse case scenario we only see wild digimon loose in the server and we have to come back and wait for them to try something." Touma argued. The Railgun nodded in agreement rather quickly and the two took the narrow path downward, eventually ending in an access point to the third floor. Dorugamon returned to Touma's Digivice at his point and the two pressed forward.

When they reached the third floor however, an unusual surprise was waiting for them.

"…Kamijou?"

"Ryuji-san?"

Just a few meters away from the entrance to the second floor of the Valhalla Server, one Mishima Ryuji stood.

"You're the one who disabled the firewall?" Ryuji asked.

"Me, actually." Mikoto corrected. "Had to get down here somehow, you know?"

"…Suddenly the whole situation Chitose-san was talking about makes sense." Touma rubbed his neck.

"Chitose, huh…" Ryuji looked down for a brief moment before refocusing his gaze on the unlucky Kamijou. "Either way; I'm the one guarding this floor. It doesn't matter to me why, but if you want to keep going, you're going to have to get past me, got it?"

Ryuji looked serious. His Cyberdramon spawned behind him to emphasize his point. Touma didn't know why, but the Hudie Leader looked deathly serious and ready to strike down whoever was unlucky enough to cross him.

However…

"…So, no one has come down here aside from me and Misaka-san, right?" Touma asked. "No one has done any floor hopping?"

"I figured that was implied by the situation." Ryuji replied. "Even if someone did make it around, I have access to Kamishiro's security network; I can keep track of anyone across all floors you know. I don't know why you're here, but this is your last chance; go home."

As if Touma's existence was destined to throw off the Hudie Leader however, the unlucky Kamijou let out a relieved sigh.

"That's good… if that's the case, the chance of them being down here is virtually zero." Touma crossed his arms and smiled lightly.

"…He could be lying, you know." Mikoto stated.

"I doubt it… if they had those guys on pay roll, I don't think we'd see as many people up above then…" Touma reasoned out. "Plus, if they were working together, there'd be no reason for Ryuji to be here, and he's clearly working for them at the moment… even if I don't understand why."

"…Wait," Ryuji spoke up. "You're… not here for Under Zero, are you?" Ryuji seemed to ease up, but he didn't recall his digimon to his Digivice.

"Could care less. This whole server could bite the dust and it wouldn't affect me at all." Touma replied. "I'm just looking for some unwanted people that could take this entire shit-storm and make it worse."

"Who?" Ryuji asked.

"Machina Revolution," Touma answered. "Took a look at their server; practically said that they were getting in on this too when I met up with some of them that happened to stay behind."

"You're kidding…" Ryuji's eyes narrowed; it was clear he didn't like this news any more than Touma did. "They aren't anywhere in the upper floors yet?"

"Nope; not when we looked anyway. Figured since they can shift in and out of servers at will that it might be worth looking beyond the firewall… but if you have this whole place under lock and key…" Touma trailed off.

"…I can't let anyone down beyond this point, so you're just going to have to take my word for it when I say there is no one else who has made it past here yet." Ryuji replied. Touma thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"In that case, I'll head back up then and keep my eyes open for them." The unlucky Kamijou spoke. "Since you are going to be standing guard here anyway, do you think you could let me know if you see them?"

"…Listen, there's a lot you really don't know about my position at the moment. I'm not sure if I can agree to that right now, even if you're the one asking." The stern leader replied, crossing his arms in the process.

"If it were any other day or situation, I'd ask what was happening and see how I could help… but I can only do so much at once, so I won't question it and you don't have to tell me a thing about what you're going through if you don't want." Touma shook his head. "But… considering what these guys did to those digimon… you can see why it'd be bad if they somehow got down to Under Zero and pulled a similar stunt with that instead, right?"

Ryuji tensed up, looking off to the side with a look of guilt plastered on his face. However, in the end, he looked back at the unlucky Kamijou and nodded, though the act was clearly reluctant.

"…You have a point. All right, if by some off chance I see any of them and they manage to get around me, I'll message you." Ryuji replied. "…But if I can beat them down and send them packing, promise me you'll get out of here, ok?"

"That was the plan from the start. I'm no hacker; this really isn't the place for someone like me." Touma replied. "I'm going to head back up. They might just charge through the front door and make their way down, after all."

"Stay safe and be careful; there is more to this place than what meets the eye." Ryuji bid the duo farewell as they went back to the access point, returning to the first floor in the process.

"…Do you really think we can trust him? I know he's a friend of yours, but…" Mikoto crossed her arms.

"To be honest… I'm questioning that myself." Touma replied. "…But the confliction in his words felt real, plus he tried to order us back rather than attacking us on sight; if he wanted us gone he could have just attacked us and been done with it."

"…You assume I'd lose?" Mikoto sparked lightly.

"You know what I mean; if he really didn't care, he would have attacked first and asked questions later. I want to know what he's going through… but sometimes stuff like this is mutually exclusive; you can't save everyone, you know."

"Hard to believe you said that… especially since you pull stunts like that constantly. Everyone being saved but you is the norm when you're involved." Mikoto replied.

"…So what you're saying is, me just being here practically ensures all of this will work out, but I'll somehow find myself in the emergency room with a few broken arms and legs as the price to pay?" Touma smiled cheekily.

"…Ok, one: It disturbs me how used to this song and dance you are. Two: I don't even want to know how you'd get your physical body hospitalized due to physical injuries from a digital platform." Mikoto deadpanned.

"Hey; if there's a way, I'm practically doomed to find it." Touma replied, but sighed not long after. "That's… depressing to think about… such misfortune."

The clashes in the Valhalla server appeared to get worse during the two's absence. As Mikoto and Touma made their way back to the first floor, the fighting was getting increasingly violent, and the number of participants grew as more hacker teams got involved. The first floor was in better shape, as many people had moved on. The only ones remaining where the unfortunate losers as well as the few winners who were unfortunately unable to move on.

The two pressed on, keeping their eyes peeled for any unusual activity. However, during this the unlucky Kamijou almost ran into another person, just barely able to avoid the collision as the two danced around to avoid the other.

It was yet another surprise appearance.

"A-Aiba-san!?"

"Kamijou-san?"

Now standing across from the unlucky Kamijou was a familiar red-haired Cyber Sleuth.

"What are you doing here? You don't strike me as the type to be interested in something like this." Touma asked.

"We could ask you the same thing, you know?" A different voice answered, revealing it to belong to Sanada Arata. "Damn… this huge mess even got you dragged in, huh?"

"More or less… just some people I'd rather not have involved are dipping their hands into it…" Touma replied.

"…Struggle never ends, does it?" Arata asked.

"Not a chance in hell." Touma let out an exasperated sigh.

"…Seriously, just how many people do you know?" Mikoto asked.

"I can ask him the same thing; it's hard not to recognize Academy City's poster child, you know." Arata slipped his hands into his pockets. "He sure gets around a lot, huh?"

"You're telling me…" Mikoto shook her head.

"…Why do I feel like I'm being judged?" Touma deadpanned.

"Kamijou-san… do you have a second?" Ami asked. "I'm looking for my friend. She kind of got hyped up about all this Under Zero business and came down here with her own group… her name is Shiramine Nokia and she has red hair, might be wearing an overly revealing dress..."

"…Prefers to be called Akkino?" Touma asked.

"Yes! That's her to a T; have you seen her?"

"I… might have seen her on the second floor? Sorry; I was focusing on looking for some specific people and kind of blocked everything else out." Touma replied.

"Who exactly are you looking for so badly that it needs that much concentration?" Arata asked.

"I do believe he is looking for me if I had to guess."

A new voice resonated a small stance behind the room, towards the server entrance.

Much to their surprise, one Samson Ainsworth stood with his hands in his pockets… the odd part of that being that prior to this encounter, Samson had lost one of his arms entirely. It was reasonable to assume that he would have simply needed to log out and log back in to reform his avatar's missing limb, but something about his appearance gave off a rather unsettling vibe.

"…Figures that you'd be the first one to show up out of Machina Revolution." Touma's face turned serious as his gaze shifted to the well-dressed cabal boss.

"And here I thought our meeting was just a simple fortunate coincidence; someone must have went and told, huh?" Samson replied.

"You could say that… what do you mean by meeting me again being fortunate?" Touma asked.

"Well, the fact that it's a shame that we don't see eye to eye, of course." Samson answered. "I was angry with my project's failure, but one must not dwell on the past lest they be absorbed by it and all that. This meeting is a positive one because it delivers onto me the opportunity to have you see things my way."

"Sorry, but I don't think that's going to happen." The spiky haired teen shot back.

"Oh I assure you that the possibility is very real, and that I intend to pursue it whole heartedly. Not by shifting your perception with some kind of spell, but with cold, hard results." The well-dressed mage replied. "However, that will have to wait for a moment or two. I have an appointment to keep in the depths of this server. I hope that's not too much of an issue. After all, I assume as long as I'm in this server, you will be here as well, correct?"

"Do you really think I'm going to let you slip by on your own?" Touma asked. Dorugamon appeared next to him with a low growl to emphasize his point.

Samson glanced around for a moment before letting out a soft laugh.

"Oh of course, silly me! I forgot to send out the signal!"

The moment those words left the cabal bosses lips, several portals appeared in the digital space, each one with magi walking through in mass.

There must have been around forty of them. Oddly, it appeared that the usual interloper, Hiraku, was absent.

"Ten of you, with me! The rest; clean up everything so that my appointment goes undisturbed." Samson ordered. The magi began to call out their respective digimon and began to assault the various other hackers in the area. Without another word more, Samson and the ten he called out vanished into another rift.

"Damn it all…!" Touma cursed.

"So that's the guy huh… and these guys are from his group…" Mikoto stated. "…I'd say we should press on ahead and stop him before he pulls whatever stunt he's going for, but considering it sounds like these guys will make their way slowly downward…"

"Yeah, they might take us from behind if we ignore them…" Touma cursed. "…Hey, Aiba-san, Sanada-san; you two should move on."

"And leave you two alone with the hoard? You crazy!?" Arata shouted.

"Yeah, and if this hoard reaches the lower levels in the clean sweep they're aiming for, they'll catch your friend!" Touma shouted. "Well hold them off and meet up with you later, then we can all get out of here in one piece!"

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on this idiot. Make sure your friend is safe; we'll be fine." Mikoto added. Arata clicked his teeth; as much as he hated to admit it, their goal was to pull Nokia's butt out of the fire she threw herself in, and considering she was on a crash course with Zaxon's finest in the lower levels, there really was only one call to make.

"…Ami, let's go!" Arata turned down the path and ran. Ami herself hung back for a moment however.

"Stay safe, Kamijou-san!" She shouted before running after Arata, descending to the next floor with him.

So the Imagine Breaker and the Railgun were left alone, save for Touma's Dorugamon who stood in-between them.

"…You know, sending them off was probably a bad idea; really could have used their help with this." Mikoto commented.

"Stick around; I'm full of bad ideas." Touma shot back.

"So; what's the plan? I still have my QueenChessmon, a mega level, but her taking on thirty of these guys is probably a stretch… and I don't exactly have anything metallic to fire off my railgun here in cyber space, you know."

Touma nodded with a frown, glancing down toward his Dorugamon. However, just as he did so he remembered something important.

"…Yes you do, Misaka." Touma ruffled his partner's fur for a moment. "Just wait for my signal."

The thirty magi tore through the exhausted and weakened hackers left behind as if they were paper. The few that offered any kind of real resistance were quickly swarmed and done in without remorse. The group moved as a large unit, making their way across the room, approaching the path to the access point.

"…Hey, is that the Imagine Breaker?" One of the magi pointed out, recognizing the spiky haired teen.

"Well, isn't this perfect? Let's take him down!" Another shouted. The group seemingly agreeing began to march forward with their respective digimon, as well as several beginning to prepare spells.

This event didn't go unnoticed, however.

"Shit… we're out of time!" Touma shouted, darting to his left. "Misaka, Dorugamon! Do it now!"

At his command, Dorugamon fired one of his signature **Cannonball** attacks. However, he didn't shoot it towards the magi, but rather up into the air, and with noticeably less power than normal, causing it to come back down rather quickly. As it did so, Mikoto punched the side of the iron sphere.

The reason was simple; there was no metal for the Railgun to take advantage of in cyber space. Even if something appeared to be metal, it was just a simulated texture rather than carrying any of irons true properties.

However, there was a notable exception. Digimon were not simulated being or existences of any kind; their bodies felt and appeared as real as any normal animal, despite the digital setting and their digital appearance.

That trait carried on to their attacks. Fire felt like fire, water felt like water… and iron felt like real iron.

…And if that iron was just like real iron, then…

"Eat this you bastards!"

It could be fired off like real iron.

Instantly, the iron sphere shot off, easily surpassing the speed of sound as it shined a bright orange, slamming right into the crowd of magi and ripping it in half. Those directly hit by the railgun blast where annihilated instantly along with their digimon, while the shockwave from such a fast object quickly took care of the vast majority of the rest of them, blasting them off the server's edges and plunging them into the abyss.

Only a select few managed to stay on the platform, and those few quickly realized the gravity of the situation.

Though the magi had succeeded so far in dealing with a great amount of hackers, they were not finished with their purge, and with more than half of their numbers obliterated…

Mikoto and Touma joined in on the ensuing mob of hackers, pummeling and then deleting the avatars of the remaining members of Machina Revolution.

"…Tell me; did you know that would work?" Mikoto asked after the last mage had been dealt with.

"Truthfully? Not even the slightest clue." Touma admitted.

"S-so you bet this entire thing on one big ass gamble!? What if it didn't work you idiot!" Mikoto shouted.

"W-well… hey! It worked out, so let's not get too bent out of shape about it! Dumb ideas work out sometimes, right?" Touma began to stroke his Dorugamon's fur. "Isn't that right? Good boy!" Dorugamon began to smile at the affection he was receiving.

"H-hey! What about me!? I'm the one who fired off the railgun, after all!" Mikoto stated. Touma eyed her for a moment before nodding in agreement.

He then began to pat her head, causing Mikoto's face to turn bright red.

"Good… girl?" Touma didn't sound sure of himself.

"I-I M-M-MEANT THANKING ME Y-YOU IDIOT!" The Railgun shouted loud, clearly embarrassed. Touma reflexively pulled back his hand.

"R-right! Sorry! Em… t-thanks Misaka! Couldn't have done it without you!" Touma stated.

"S-seriously… why was that your first reaction…?" Mikoto huffed and turned away. She decided to keep the fact that she enjoyed the attention a secret for the sake of saving her the embarrassment.

"S-sorry… anyway, with that taken care of, let's-" Touma turned to begin walking towards the access point when he stopped in his tracks.

Because a Humanoid Eater was right in his path.

He didn't move, appearing to lock eyes with the monstrosity, not daring to move to avoid setting it off.

However, when the tendril monster made a move to wrap its "arms" around the unlucky Kamijou, his retaliation was swift. He brought his right arm up and slammed it into the humanoid Eater's side, with Imagine Breaker obliterating the creature without a moment to spare.

"…What was that thing?" Mikoto asked. "…A digimon? But you took it down in one hit, so…"

"…An Eater, in here?" Touma gulped. The sight of the Eater itself wasn't particularly alarming, but where it appeared however was a completely different story.

While a problem, Touma's school server security when updated proved to be enough to keep them at bay. Even if the monsters naturally eroded and devoured data, a regularly maintained security presence of some kind could keep them out of secure servers, and surely Kamishiro knew this was possible if they made the system to begin with, and likely had security in place for just that reason.

Therefore… if that was indeed the case, and if Eaters had managed to infiltrate the Valhalla server, Kamishiro's oldest and most important location in EDEN…

"H-hey! What are these things!?"

…Was likely because someone else let them into the server purposefully.

Touma turned to see the coalition of exhausted hackers beginning to be swarmed by Eaters, both normal and humanoid. From the looks of these, a few had already fallen victim to the data-craving beasts.

"Misaka! Blast every single one of them! These things aren't digimon!" Touma ran towards the crowd of hackers, punching Eaters as he came across them. Mikoto wasted little time with unleashing her electricity to eradicate a large pack of the black and white horrors.

However, despite eliminating them in mass, more kept pouring into the server.

"What the hell are these things!? Don't just tell me to attack them without an explanation you idiot!" Mikoto shouted.

"Does it look like we have the time to chat!?" Touma fired back. He looked around quickly, looking for the logout terminal. It was easy to find, but it was completely cut off due to the hoard. "Misaka! Blast a hole right through these freaks to these guys can escape!"

"Fine, you got it!" A large wave of pure electricity rippled out from the Railgun, slamming into the hoard, forcefully erasing them. A hole in their numbers was made, but it wouldn't last for long. Touma turned toward the group of hackers and shouted loud.

"Hey, the way out is open! Take it while you can and log out; these things will chase you wherever you go otherwise, got it!?"

"Y-you got it man, thanks! Try and get out when you can too, alright!?" One of the hackers answered as the group made a mad dash for the logout terminal, every single one of them eager to escape the tentacle horrors.

Touma ran back to his companions to find Mikoto doing her best to manage the numbers and Dorugamon helping as much as he could.

"We're getting overwhelmed here; what's the plan? You're the one who knows these things!" Mikoto shouted. Initially, Touma had the idea of them making a break for the exit themselves, but when a certain thought occurred to him.

"…Wait, if this is just the first floor… what about the others?" Touma suggested. Mikoto's face took a grim turn upon processing the information.

"…If we head in deeper, I don't know how long we can deal with these things." Mikoto stated.

"I know that, but I have some friends down here! I can't just leave them to these monsters!" Touma replied.

"That's fine; just making sure you understand. I'm with you!" The Railgun nodded, accepting Touma's reasoning.

"In that case… Dorugamon, get back in my Digivice; we're running for it!" Touma announced. Dorugamon did as he was told and retreated to Touma's Digivice as the two made a break for the access point leading to the second floor. Mikoto's ability proved effective at keeping the Eaters at bay, but their numbers was still very much a problem.

They eventually reached the second floor, which was in a much worse state. Unlike the first, it had already been completely overrun. They pressed on to the third floor to find it very much in the same condition, with Ryuji nowhere in sight.

There was little time to look for the Hudie Leader however, as the number of Eaters continued to drastically rise. They had no choice but to move forward and deal with the monsters that approached, eventually reaching the fourth and final floor.

The location itself was in a large circle with a large black cube in the middle, and the area itself was rather plain in design. This floor however did still have people active, but the situation was far from positive.

Hackers were being consumed left and right without restraint. Several however appeared to still have the strength to fight, calling out their digimon to fend off the black and white horrors.

What stood out amongst the chaos was a large white Digimon, easily taller than most of the other entities in the location. Its body was white with black joints, and had a long flowing white cape. The unusual part of its design were its arms; its right bared a distinct resemblance to the head of WarGreymon, while its left was very similar to that of MetalGarurumon. A large blade suddenly shot out from the WarGreymon head and cleaved through a section Eaters as if they were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

However, just as quickly as Touma saw the figure, it shot up into the sky. Touma looked up to see a large crack near the top, and the white digimon was flying right towards it; perhaps that is where the Eaters had been coming from?

His thoughts where interrupted by a loud shout.

"RYUJI!"

It sounded just like Chitose, the other Hudie hacker Touma had just met not that long ago. He turned towards where the voice came from to see Mishima Ryuji, standing rather awkwardly with a disturbed look on his face with an Eater pouncing on him.

Followed by Chitose shoving Ryuji out of the way, ending up devoured instead. The monster coiled around the blond's body, and after a few moments, not even a single speck of him was left behind.

Touma covered his mouth as if to prevent himself from making a sound, but in truth he was horrified at what he had witnessed.

Eaters devour the mental data of EDEN users, effectively eating the minds of their victims and leaving their real bodies comatose with no chance of recovery.

In essence: Imai Chitose died right in front of the unlucky Kamijou, and the whole event happened so quickly there was nothing he could have done to stop it.

"What… happened to him…?" Mikoto asked. "He's… going to be fine, right? If his avatar is destroyed or deleted, he'll just have his mind ejected… right?"

Touma's silence on the topic gave the Railgun all the information she needed to know. Her frown turned to disgust upon finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

"A-and… the people on the other floors…?" She asked.

"…Just like him… who… who the hell did this!?" Touma shouted with anger. No one bothered to answer him however; everyone left was fighting for their lives. He even caught the sight of Ami and Keisuke fighting with their respective digimon as he looked around, searching hopelessly for a culprit. He saw others; Nokia, Yuugo, and Arata, but those people weren't who he was looking for.

He eventually locked eyes with one Samson Ainsworth, who he could see backing out from the fighting.

"…You! What did you!?" Touma ran towards him with his face twisted in anger.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Samson replied.

"This! All of this! What the hell did you do!?" Touma shouted. "I know about your tactics; destroying everything and taking what's left… but this is way too far! You of all people should know what these things are capable of!"

"…I have a general idea of what's running through your head, but you're barking up the wrong tree." Samson shook his head. "I'm just as much a victim in this as you and everyone else. Take another look around before you start accusing me of manipulating these things."

The Imagine Breaker stared down the cabal boss, but he did notice something; despite coming down with at least ten people, he was now completely alone. A quick look around made it clear; all ten of them were gone.

"…Were they…?" He asked.

"I did everything I could…" Samson answered. "One of them… sacrificed their life just to save mine… someone with such strong belief in our cause gave everything they had for me… I did everything I could for them all but… they appeared so suddenly…"

It was just as Samson suggested; he and his cabal were just as much prey for these monsters as everyone else. His subordinates were devoured like the rest, and only he was able to survive.

"…I see…" Touma appeared to calm down.

"I can understand why you would accuse me, as we have a checkered past… but honestly; not even I would attempt something this horrific. The "purpose" of all of this is supposedly to remove everyone who's a thorn in Kamishiro's side in one fell swoop, but this? A tragedy… an honest tragedy…" Samson shook his head again.

"…Wait, you knew this was going to happen…?" Touma asked.

"Yes and no," The cabal boss began. "Yes, I knew Kamishiro was going to attempt to stop this incursion; I was even contacted about it and requested to arrive here in force, so I assumed I was part of this plan… but about this? Monsters that devour people's minds? That I have nothing to do with… I believe that they intended to take me out with all of this as well…"

"But… you could have done something, right? Warned them that it was a trap…!" Mikoto spoke up, finally snapping out of her horrified daze.

"If I had known this was their plan, I would have been inclined to… but such is in the past." Samson stated. "I had been working with the company for some time, but now I see that I must be more creative in the future… so these people's sacrifice will not be in vain…"

"…How long have you been working with them?" Touma sternly questioned the cabal boss.

"Quite some time. They provided funding so we may procure what we needed, and even looked the other way to our activities. Specifically, they wanted us to harass and probe the hacker community, specifically Zaxon… yes; I do believe their intention was to assist in leading to this outcome, though I think it was the Demons that ultimately allowed this to come to pass." Samson crossed his arms.

"…Why are you telling me this? You know that makes you at least someone responsible, right?" Touma shouted.

"Because it hardly matters anymore." The well-dressed magician concluded. "My dealings with Kamishiro and Zaxon are finished. The dead are dead, and those who survive will continue to do so, it's hardly worth dwelling on any longer. Those who sided with me gave their very lives to see me succeed… so I have a task to uphold much more important than worrying about innocence of the situation."

"…What about everyone else?" Touma formed a fist with his right hand. "Innocent people died here, and I don't see how you can gloss over it like its nothing…!"

"Of course these people's sacrifice is notable and I have no intention of saying otherwise. However sad it is, the fact that it must be so is a necessary expense to give in exchange for the ability to change the world." Samson answered. "They died so that others may live; sacrificed their lives… one of them even sacrificed himself just to save me specifically as I told you, giving me time to prepare a proper defense… surely that means what I'm doing is just and worthy of preserving, no?"

Samson spoke with a smile slowly creeping upon his face.

"Do not worry, Kamijou Touma. In the world I intend to create… such sacrifices shall be a thing of the past. No more shall innocent men and women give their lives over petty squabbles… but to create a world without sacrifice, one must sacrifice much, as such is the way of the current world. Every cause, no matter how noble or vile, has its price to pay… and I'll be more than happy to pay that price if it means creating true paradise free from horrors such as this."

Touma frowned at hearing this.

"How… can you say that when it is already innocent people being sacrificed here? How can you just accept people giving up their lives so easily…? I don't get it…" He asked, looking down.

Samson retained his smile as he spoke.

"It is a matter of value." The cabal boss replied. "They passed on, but I survived…they gave up their lives for someone with value… one who will bring about great things, so as long as I survive, everything will be fine."

"…What?" Touma shook his head.

"Value is determined by the power of change and progress one will bring, you see." Samson began. "They could not bring about their change, thus they sacrificed themselves so that I could do it in their place. And those that died? They serve a similar purpose, although they do so unwillingly, which is unfortunate, but one must not complain about good fortune…"

"…What the hell are you talking about? These are people's lives! Show them some respect!" Touma fired back.

"Oh but I am showing them respect by thanking them for surrendering their very lives for my cause." Samson slowly stood back up. "And of course those who valiantly fought with all they had to save their friends are just as worthy, which is why I intend to avenge them. They fight and die so that the people of value, people like me who will change this world, can survive… what better praise can I offer than to redouble my efforts and ensure their deaths are not in vain? After all, if I am the one with value, then I must make use of their noble sacrifice and act, right?"

"You don't decide who has value and who doesn't…!" Touma spat.

"You're right; I don't… but the people do. Clearly, that means that since I was saved, that I have value, right? What I'm doing is just, right? The paradise I intend to create is for the greater good… right?" Samson stated. "The fact that I was saved must mean that… if I could save them, I most certainly would, but the fact that they passed on yet I still draw breath must be proof… proof that what I intend to do is right. Don't worry; as the one with value, I'll see this through to the end, and forge that new paradise for everyone…!"

Touma's fist tightened as he walked over to the cabal boss, and just as he was about to speak once more, the unlucky Kamijou punched Samson across the face hard enough to send him tumbling backwards.

"People's lives aren't just things that exist to die at your convenience! People live, dream, and die for themselves, not some egomaniac like you! Not everyone lives and breathes to be your stepping stones to greatness you son of a bitch!" Touma spat.

Samson sat up slowly. Similarly to when his arm was removed, blood leaked from the cabal bosses nose, despite the fact that his existence on EDEN should be an avatar without blood or the organs that require it.

"…It seems that I have upset you." Samson commented upon wiping the blood from his nostril.

"Of course you did; how did you expect me to react!? People are out here dying and your reaction is "As long as it wasn't me, its fine," or something!? What kind of outlook is that!?" The Imagine Breaker shouted. "Even if you're talking about saving people, making some kind of future for everyone, what the hell is the god damn point if you kill everyone while forging it!? The only thing I'm hearing being spat from your god damn mouth is contempt for the very lives you're supposedly working for!"

"And what does it matter if a few people die here or there?" Samson argued. "If the end result is attained, nothing else matters. People die for the sake of the important all the time; how is this any different. I intend to make a system that obliterates the very concept of this world, so what does it matter if I use the old system to make the new!? I'll sacrifice anything and everything to forge my paradise!"

It really wasn't that rational in retrospect. People were fighting for their lives, but Touma was focused on just one man.

He didn't even notice that the flow of Eaters had stopped and that the counterattack against them had begun.

Even though others were fighting, the only thing Kamijou Touma could focus on was Samson Ainsworth… and how much he wanted to punch him in the face. Even if he wasn't directly responsible... even if he lost people to this horrific event just like everyone else.

Touma could not stand the words coming from Samson Ainsworth's mouth.

He ran towards the cabal boss with a fist ready to throw once more, but a large blade made out of bones stabbed into the ground between them; Titamon had once more entered the fray. The green behemoth lifted up its massive sword and brought it down to strike the unlucky Kamijou when a familiar queen-like figure appeared wielding a large mallet, blocking the blade.

"QueenChessmon, keep that green piece of crap busy. We have business with the guy's master." Mikoto commented.

"…You as well?" Samson asked.

"I really don't fully understand what's happening here… I really don't," Mikoto began. "But the bull flowing from that sad and pathetic mouth of yours is really pissing me off."

"…Very well… in that case…!" The cabal boss brought up his arms, preparing for some kind of spell. Dorugamon appeared once more to Touma's left with a growl, more than eager to beat Samson down.

But not everything was as it seemed. Mysteriously, a lone Eater broke off from its companions and began wandering towards the conflict preparing to unfold.

The act itself wasn't unusual; Eaters value data consumption above all else, and one could have simply detected Kamijou Touma's Imagine Breaker and moved to attempt to consume it like so many had before.

The odd thing was that rather than approach Touma, it instead was making its way towards Samson, stopping relatively close to the cabal boss.

Samson's response was simple; he moved to unleash an attack to obliterate the possible attacker, but just as he did so, the unthinkable happened.

The Eater began to glitch and warp in appearance, growing in size rather rapidly, and even going so far as to change color. Four clawed arms began to appear, along with a few sets of wings.

In mere moments, the simple Eater had radically changed… and an entity strongly resembling the fallen Kimeramon stood in its place. It roared loudly, taking a few steps forward before turning towards the Railgun and the Imagine Breaker.

"What… the hell? Kimeramon!?" Touma shouted. "But… that thing should be dead… how is it here? And why did an Eater evolve into it!?"

"I'm assuming that's not normal..." Mikoto commented.

"Not even close! Apparently those things can change form based on input data… but I've never seen them turn into a digimon before…!" Touma replied.

As the two looked in confusion, laughter began to echo out in the room, and it was coming from a certain cabal boss.

"You… came back to me!" Samson spoke in the middle of his merriment. "I don't know how… but you returned! You came back from the edge of death itself… to defend me!"

Samson carefully began to pat Kimeramon's hind legs. Ordinarily, something as simple as casual contact with an Eater, regardless of state, could prove fatal as any part of their body was more than capable of devouring data, but Samson remained unharmed.

"Surely… surely this is fate acting in my favor! This must be proof that my path is just, and what I desire is right!" He shouted. "Look! Look and behold, Imagine Breaker! Living proof that the path I walk shall lead to the salvation of mankind! That the sacrifices I make will lead to a prosperous future!"

Kimeramon roared out and charged ahead, racing straight toward the three opposing its master. They split off to dodge the charge, just narrowly avoiding the behemoth.

"So what now!? You got a plan over there?" Mikoto shouted.

"Not a chance in hell; I was not prepared for this! Dorugamon isn't a match for this thing!" Touma replied. "What are the chances of your QueenChessmon helping us out?"

A simple look answered that question quickly. Despite the clear difference in size and strength, the clash between Titamon and QueenChessmon was fairly balanced, with QueenChessmon making use of her smaller and more agile form to deal with Titamon's oppressive bulk and power.

She would be unable to help them anytime soon.

"She's more than a little busy, any other ideas?" Mikoto called back.

"Not right- shit!" Touma was interrupted when blasts of energy erupted from the palms of the composite digimon's hands, flying straight toward the unlucky Kamijou, forcing him to block with his right hand. They fired off one after another and the ones that missed appeared to be intentional; if Touma moved to dodge, he would be hit by them.

Dorugamon ran to the side, firing off **Cannonball** attacks to hammer against the monster's flesh. However, these attacks did little to alter Kimeramon's intent, at least until one shot hit the creature in the eye, causing it to cry out in pain and swing its arms toward Dorugamon, narrowly missing the beast digimon as it fired a shot purposefully to propel itself backward.

Kimeramon began to gather energy for another assault when it suddenly began to cry out in pain, falling to one knee as sparks could be seen flying from the monster's form.

Beams of electricity flowed freely from the Railgun, slamming right into Kimeramon's body, electrocuting him.

"Let's see how you like this you bastard!" Mikoto shouted, forcing more power into her attack. Kimeramon continued to howl in pain, eventually getting to the point where it was only supporting itself with its hands.

However, not long after, the beast closed its mouth, gritting its teeth before pushing itself up ever so slightly.

"You've got to be kidding me… this monster can still move…!?" Mikoto scowled as she ramped up her voltage output even higher. Kimeramon suddenly jerked, holding out one hand towards the Railgun and firing a blast straight toward her. Dorugamon, who was running around since the composite digimon's apparent paralysis, tackled Mikoto out of the attacks path.

Touma ran toward the monster with a chambered right fist upon seeing it attacking Mikoto. However, Kimeramon caught a glimpse of the spiky-haired teen and slammed its tail onto the ground with enough force to send it into the air, dodging the attack. It used its wings to maintain flight, raining attacks down from the air upon the unlucky Kamijou, but Touma persisted with pursuing the behemoth.

His decision to attempt to slay the monster with Imagine Breaker was not a sudden change of heart from the last encounter; his stance very much remained the same.

However, it was rather an act of desperation due to the composite digimon attacking someone he considered a friend. He didn't know what would happen if Kimeramon managed to successfully attack Mikoto due to the monster's transformation from an Eater; it was very easy to assume that she would be rendered comatose just like every other victim of EDEN Syndrome.

Imagine Breaker would likely still be fatal to the fused monstrosity… so casual contact would still kill it… a fate Touma dreaded; if it was just himself on the line he doubted he'd be able to do the deed, just as before.

But if Kimeramon was going to attack someone close to him, that was an entirely different situation entirely. If the monster insisted on attacking Misaka Mikoto, he decided that he'd silence it, even if he would hate himself afterward for having to take another's life.

Samson didn't bother to lift a finger; he simply stood with a wide smile as Kimeramon kept in the air and bombed the Imagine Breaker from above, simply relishing in the fact that his creation had returned once more.

Slowly Mikoto pushed herself up, patting Dorugamon's head lightly.

"Thanks… you saved me big guy…" She stated as she stood up fully, watching the fight unfold in front of her. Dorugamon nudged against her lightly before jerking his head towards Kimeramon with a yelp. It made a similar motion to when it fired off his cannon balls and jerked toward Kimeramon again, seemingly eager to fight.

Mikoto caught on rather quickly; Dorugamon wanted to take down Kimeramon, but he couldn't do it alone.

Kimeramon kept in the air, bombarding the ground with barrage after barrage, forcing Touma to either block or dodge the assault. Eventually however, the onslaught paused, only to reveal Kimeramon charging orbs of energy in all four hands, getting ready for its signature attack.

Touma could only block one blast at a time, but the monster's primary technique involved four separate attacks all at once. Before it could unleash it however, a bright orange beam of light suddenly struck the monster's stomach, knocking it out of the air.

It was a Railgun.

"Kamijou!" In a rare instance, Mikoto called out Touma's name. "I think we can handle this guy for a bit. It might be a good idea to stay out of the crossfire; these iron balls hold up for railguns way better than my arcade coins you know!"

Touma blinked for a moment before nodded in agreement.

"Alright, got it!" He said as he ran to get out of the way. Kimeramon rose to its feet once again, but was met with a second railgun attack, this time slamming into the monster's face and sending it rolling backward.

With the monster held at bay, a secondary option became clear. Even if Kimeramon was the offensive force at work during all the chaos with the Eaters, there was one very clear way to end its rampage.

Its master.

"…So you came at me again?" Samson frowned.

"Call off your Frankenstein project!" Touma answered. "This is between you and me; there's no need to involve our partners in this!"

"Oh but I disagree; Kimeramon is a testament to my plan's destiny for success. You can't expect me to simply give up when I'm ordered to, right?" Samson questioned.

"In that case… I'll make you! I'm not finished with that twisted ideology just yet!" Touma shouted back, keeping up his charge straight toward him. Samson held out one finger pointed at the spiky-haired teen, and it suddenly began to dissolve away as a mass of energy appeared in its place, causing blood to leak from the missing limb. The blast fired off like a bullet, but it wasn't fast enough to avoid Touma negating the attack with Imagine Breaker. However, this event did not stop the cabal boss from simply firing another by using another finger as a catalyst.

Samson Ainsworth's magic was becoming increasingly clearer to the unlucky Kamijou; it was the concept of "self-sacrifice" itself. He would give up parts of his body to cast spells, and in Samson's case, he interpreted them as "sacrifices made to create miracles," the miracles being the spells themselves.

Considering Samson's attitude toward those around him, realizing this fact only made Touma even angrier. He was forcing people to make sacrifices like that just to fuel his desire for the "paradise" he'd force down other people's throats.

A blast was fired towards Touma's legs, an awkward place to defend as it forced him to jump back. By this point, Samson had sacrificed every finger on his right hand, including his thumb.

"Must we really do this? Surely you understand what I intend to do, right?" Samson asked. "All I want to do is to craft out a perfect paradise… that's all. Surely such a thing as an admirable act, right?"

"…I don't really get what paradise you intend to make, but no matter how good your intentions are, your way of doing it is all wrong." Touma replied.

"What are you talking about? The sacrifices I make, while sad, are necessary to craft it. A price must always be payed for progress." The cabal boss stated.

"But does that price truly have to be human lives?" The Imagine Breaker argued. "I'll admit it… what angered me earlier was how you spoke as though human lives simply existed to be sacrificed for your cause; as if those without value should be happy to die to make your own dreams come true… but this goes beyond that! How can you call that a paradise if everyone you're intending to make it for dies before they can ever see it!? Can you really just say "Die for a better future," and expect them to just be content with it!?"

As Touma spoke, another railgun was unleashed using Dorugamon's cannonballs as ammunition. However, Kimeramon fired a beam of its own to match the railgun, blowing apart the attack's metal core and racing forward.

"You can't be serious… what I strive for can only be made by the sacrifices we make as a people! Be it by giving our time, our effort, or our lives! As I told you, I won't be stopping here, no matter what kind of sacrifices I have to make to bring about my paradise!" Samson prepared another series of spells using the fingers on his other hand as a catalyst.

Mikoto and Dorugamon continued to fire railgun blasts at Kimeramon, but it finally was able to properly deal with them, either by dodging them outright or destroying them; the damage they inflicted was severe, but if he could destroy the cannonballs the railgun attacks could be rendered harmless.

"That's exactly the problem, you bastard!" Touma shot back. "If the paradise you intend to create exists upon the bodies of the people you intend to make it for, then it's nothing more than a lie! I'm not going to stand here and let you kill and send innocent people to their deaths under the illusion of it being for their salvation! If you're supposed to be the big hero, intending to save the world by killing innocent people, then I'll be the villain as many times as it god damn takes to shatter that illusion of yours!"

Kimeramon finally reached its two assailants, preparing an assault. Dorugamon stepped in front of Mikoto, ready to challenge the composite digimon personally. However, before either one could attack, Dorugamon's eyes widened as a blinding flash of light erupted, forcing Kimeramon to back off and shield its eyes from it.

The light was coming from Dorugamon, who was now bathed in it. In the light, Dorugamon's form began to shift and change, growing larger to match even Kimeramon's own imposing form.

Dorugamon was Digivolving. As it did so, part of the evolving digimon's body slammed into Kimeramon's torso, forcing it back. After a few moments, the light faded away, revealing his new form.

In addition to his increase in size, the beast digimon was now fully quadrupedal. His new form had a long neck, and while his fur on its underside that ran up the bottom of his neck remained white, the rest of his fur turned a bright red with black zigzag markings in a consistent pattern throughout. His tail had lengthened out along with his neck, and now ended on a large golden spike. He now had two sets of black dragon-like wings, the front set much larger than the bottom, and both had gold spike decorations along each wing's front edge. His head now sported a large lagged horn from the top of his snout, and a large patch of bushy white fur was visible on the back of his head that extended to about half way down his neck. However, the red gem on his forehead remained unchanged and still rested in roughly the same position.

This sudden digivolution caught the attention of both Touma and Samson. The Imagine Breaker's HUD informed him of the change.

Dorugamon had digivolved into DoruGreymon, an ultimate level digimon.

Kimeramon roared aloud, a gesture that the newly formed DoruGreymon retuned before charging at the composite digimon and slamming his body into it.

"DoruGreymon!" Touma called out, turning towards his partner. The quick glance he had gave him all the information he needed to figure out the situation; Kimeramon had managed to get close for a physical assault and DoruGreymon's digivolution appeared to be the one thing that saved them. Just as began to move though, a blast of energy flew past his face, just narrowly missing.

"I do believe your foe here is me… don't get ahead of yourself!" Samson shouted. Touma clenched his fists as he shifted back towards Samson as he prepared another spell, but just as he would unleash it, a sudden wave of fire slammed into his body, forcing him to scream in pain as the flames engulfed him for a time. He ended up changing the spell to vanquish the flames, but where they came from made him fully realize the bad position he was in.

As one Stiyl Magnus walked out from a pocket of space, followed by a humanoid digimon wearing a stereotypical wizard's hat wielding a wand, and moved toward the cabal boss.

"You've been a pain in the ass to find, Samson Ainsworth." Red-haired mage spoke.

"Stiyl… how did you get here?" Touma asked.

"Long story; I'll explain later. You can focus your attention onto your partner… Me and my Wizardmon will take over dealing with this scumbag if you don't mind." Stiyl stated.

"But…"

"Don't worry; there will be plenty left of him for you to smack around. Taking down that monster of his should do wonders for making him cooperate." Stiyl answered again. "Besides… considering what his men did to me not to long ago… I think it's time for a little revenge…!"

Touma glanced between the two, weighing his options. After a moment, he nodded and ran for his partner.

If Samson was going to be contained, then Touma was free to go to DoruGreymon's aid. What Stiyl said was true; to truly defeat him, both Samson and his creation had to go down before he would even begin to consider what he was saying.

As Touma ran, Mikoto ran up to him, running alongside him.

"So I guess that guy had a bone to pick with this Samson guy, huh?" Mikoto asked. "In that case, what are we doing?"

"Stiyl is going to be keeping Samson in check for a bit, so I'm heading over to DoruGreymon to see what I can do to help. Think you could help out your QueenChessmon take down that Titamon just in case we need the back up?" Touma replied.

"You got it; stay safe!" The railgun spoke. Touma nodded quickly and Mikoto broke off and moved toward her own partner. QueenChessmon was beginning to be worn down by Titamon's relentless assault.

A little known fact however was that QueenChessmon's body was primarily made of metal. This allowed Mikoto to use electromagnetism to run up her partner digimon's back. When Titamon began to swing its sword once more, Mikoto leapt off QueenChessmon's shoulder and unleashed a blast of lightning straight into Titamon's head, the combination of the electricity and the flash caused by it staggering the green giant and giving QueenChessmon an opportunity to slam her mallet into Titamon's side, knocking him over.

As Mikoto began to do battle alongside her digimon, Touma ran over to DoruGreymon and Kimeramon. The two were wrestling rather intensely, although Kimeramon had a clear advantage due to his number of arms grabbing at the beast digimon in front of him. Upon closer inspection however, DoruGreymon had embedded his horn into Kimeramon's side, and seemingly the reason Kimeramon hadn't done anything else to attack was due to this; the risk of DoruGreymon tearing out the entire right side of its body with just the horn was a real possibility.

Kimeramon however appeared to have had enough, as it began charging up another attack from its mouth; a variation of its trademark attack, **Heat Viper.**

"Get off of him you son of a bitch!" Touma raced toward the duo with his right arm outstretched. Kimeramon saw this and immediately backed off, flapping its wings to give distance between him and the unlucky Kamijou despite the extra damage from DoruGreymon's horn because of it.

It was clear that Kimeramon knew very well that Touma's right arm was a threat. It shifted its head towards him and prepared to fire towards the unlucky Kamijou instead. However, DoruGreymon was far from finished as he swung his body around and flung his tail at the composite digimon. The golden spike at the end was able to rip right through Kimeramon's body, but Touma's beast digimon wasn't done as he used his tail to throw Kimeramon higher into the air.

Despite being gored, impaled and thrown however, the monster was still very much alive. Energy continued to gather in Kimeramon's mouth, preparing to fire.

Touma didn't want to do it, but this fight had to end.

"DoruGreymon! Finish this!" Touma shouted. DoruGreymon answered in kind of his signature technique.

 **Metal Meteor.**

In incredibly dense piece of metal fired from DoruGreymon's mouth, traveling at great speed. Flames enveloped the metal sphere as it traveled, as if it were a meteor flying through the Earth's atmosphere. It struck Kimeramon with incredible speed and power, but not just anywhere.

Where the monster had been ran through by DoruGreymon's tail.

The burning piece of metal ripped through Kimeramon's body due to striking an already weakened area, leaving the monster with a huge gaping hole in its torso. Kimeramon landed with a loud crash after the attack, motionless. The monster had finally been felled and would trouble them no longer.

However, something odd began to occur with the body of the composite creature. Slowly, Kimeramon's form began to shrink and shift, eventually returning to the form of the Eater it previously held. The Eater shared all the wounds DoruGreymon had inflicted, and shortly after the transformation was complete, the Eater self-destructed, obliterating itself from existence.

"…I have no idea how that happened… but there are other things to worry about right now." Touma stated. He turned his attention back over to Mikoto to see the fight going in her favor rather quickly. Mikoto's ability to take advantage of QueenChessmon's metal body meant that she could effectively ride on and attack from her partner from virtually any angle. Titamon however was proved as resilient as ever, and intended to keep fighting until the bitter end.

Touma's attention shifted towards Samson and Stiyl. The cabal boss had clear burns across his body, and several pieces of it were missing, likely sacrificed to cast his magic. Stiyl appeared to be injured to some degree, but was still able to fight.

The Imagine Breaker closed his eyes for a moment before moving toward Samson. Mikoto would be fine more than likely, and taking down Titamon's master would also ensure Titamon's defeat as well.

Samson began to prepare an attack, but a sudden surge of fire from above dissuaded him and forced him to dodge. Wizardmon followed up Stiyl's attack with one of his own, unleashing a blast of lightning from his wand and striking Samson's torso. The cabal boss rolled to the side, doubled over in pain for a time. Slowly he began to push himself up, but when he did, he saw Touma and his DoruGreymon not that far behind him approaching.

In addition, his Kimeramon was nowhere to be found.

"He… lost again…!?" Samson asked with anger quite apparent in his voice.

"That's right… he packs a lot of power, but so much armor you know." Touma stated. "His bulk can only get him so far… punch through that and he's done."

"Is that so…!?" Samson stood up fully, dealing with his injuries rather well. Just like before, it appeared as though it was his physical body rather than a digital avatar, so blood leaked from the cabal bosses body all over.

"All wrapped up already, huh?" Stiyl commented.

"Got a few lucky hits in… that's all." Touma shook his head.

"I see… so it's my loss then…" Samson turned towards his Titamon. The green behemoth looked back and nodded before suddenly vanishing, retreating into Samson's own Digivice. Mikoto looked over from QueenChessmon's shoulder to watch events unfold upon noticing her opponent's departure.

Samson's arms suddenly began to dissolve and vanish, and just as that happened, a rift opened up behind him.

He was retreating.

"I'm not finished… I can't afford to give up here… not yet!" Samson shouted.

"Why are you trying so hard?" Touma shook his head. "I don't get it. You're sacrificing and killing people… for what? Paradise? Is it even worth it if that's the price you have to pay?"

"…Because I've seen it with my own eyes." The cabal boss replied. "I know it… I know exactly what it looks like and what can happen there." Samson stated. "I know what it is like… what it has, and how beings live there… and if they were able to accomplish it once upon a time… I know I can bring it here too!"

As Samson spoke, the rift he had formed behind him began to envelop him as he slowly moved backwards.

"So I'll sacrifice it… I'll sacrifice everything if I have to! I've seen what true paradise has to offer, and I won't stop until I have brought it to life for everyone to witness! I don't care what I have to do, I won't stop! I'll-"

Samson's speech was cut off when a flaming sword flew straight into his abdomen.

"I've had enough of you ranting for one day, you sad excuse for a man. Rot in hell while you pray for that paradise you don't deserve." The red-haired mage spat. Samson stated something, but his voice was so soft due to the sudden attack that what exactly he said couldn't be heard. His eyes rolled back into his head as the rift enveloped the cabal boss.

Not a trace of him was left behind.

"Why… did you-" Touma was cut off when Stiyl abruptly began to speak.

"My actual goal was to capture him… but with that disappearing act he and his subordinates use was a massive pain… if I rushed at him, all he'd need to do is step back faster to escape… better to leave something like that rather than have him escape scot-free."

Touma glanced back towards where the cabal boss once stood. Blood was all over the floor, likely from Samson himself. The oddities with his body were too prevalent to ignore; it was as if he somehow had his real body inside of EDEN.

"…Do you think that… actually finished him off…?" Touma asked.

"Don't know actually… I doubt he'd use that sacrificial magic without some kind of a failsafe…" Stiyl replied. This reminded Touma of the fact that Samson always came back with his body perfectly intact as if it had never been harmed… if it was his real body, or one that greatly resembled it in its function, how was that possible?

It was a question that Touma wouldn't receive an answer to at the moment, so he decided to stop thinking about it.

"Best case scenario, as much as you'd disagree, that blow kills him somehow. Worst case… this crushing failure should at least shut him up a bit." Stiyl crossed his arms.

"But… it should be possible to actually kill someone on EDEN outside of those Eaters devouring someone's mental data, right?" Touma asked.

"That's why I said "somehow." Stiyl shook his head. "It's bad enough I had to make Wizardmon use his own abilities to hide us to get the jump on him… hopefully he's actually gone down."

"…And his confession that it was just him working with Kamishiro should settle the debate of who's responsible between the science and magic sides, right?" Touma suggested.

"Both sides will probably want hard evidence… but the fact it came right from the big guy's mouth should at least quiet things down a bit." The red-haired mage replied. By this point, Mikoto had descended from the shoulder of QueenChessmon and recalled her to her Digivice. Not long after, she approached the two.

"…So that settles it, right?" She asked.

"It at least should deter Machina Revolution form acting for a while… I'd say that we stopped them from taking Under Zero, but from the sound of things, they never wanted it to begin with. Poor guys who got attacked ended up duped just like everyone else…" Touma stated.

Suddenly, he felt something wet on his cheek. DoruGreymon had licked his cheek with his now massive tongue. Touma patted the big beast digimon's head, and he responded in kind by pressing his head against the unlucky Kamijou.

"No matter how big and fluffy you get, you really are just a big puppy, aren't you?" Touma smiled and stroked the side of DoruGreymon's head. "Next time I get my hands on a big piece of meat in here, it's all yours."

"Good job, you were my savior back there you know." Mikoto joined in, stroking DoruGreymon's side. The red beast digimon just seemed more than happy to get affection.

"In that case, I'll be taking my leave." Stiyl commented. "I wouldn't recommend staying for too long… the aftermath of all of this is rather depressing." His Wizardmon vanished, seemingly into whatever Stiyl was using for a Digivice, and the red-haired mage began to move toward the access point to reach the upper floor's logout zone.

What Stiyl meant was clear. In the end, the Hackers appeared to have won, but at a heavy cost. More than half of them had been eliminated and devoured by the Eater menace. Several people were asking around for information on their missing friends… and in some cases, missing family members that had come with the various hackers in an attempt to support them.

Several people he knew were missing too. Chitose was gone; devoured by an Eater right in front of him. He could have seen Yuugo at one point, but now he was a no show; a worrying development. What upset Touma for a brief moment was that Ami had vanished, but a quick look at his message log showed that she was alive and well. She had also seen Touma in the final battlefield as well and was asking for an update as she had been displaced from her friends, who apparently outside of Nokia hadn't been answering her.

Nokia herself was in the server, thankfully unharmed. Touma caught the sight of an angered Arata leaving the area. He could still see Ryuji, but he was quite distraught; he sat on the ground looking down, looking more than a little disturbed.

Touma shook his head at looking it all.

"This is a disaster…" He spoke. "And this is something that was planned? Luring all these people here just to kill them off with Eaters…?"

Mikoto approached him from the side.

"Hey… are you ok?" She asked carefully.

"…Not even close." Touma couldn't lie; as mad as Samson made him earlier, the fact that this was all I giant set-up for a massacre made him angrier. "To be honest, I'm pissed… and to make it worse… I don't have the slightest clue where to throw it at either… who could have done this and still call themselves human…!"

A set of footsteps could be heard approaching the two.

"…Hey, Kamijou-san… you alright?" This time it was Keisuke, walking with his hands in his pockets.

"Like I told Misaka, no I'm not… but…" Touma shook his head. "Forget about me; how are you holding up?"

"Could be better, definitely… especially since… well, Chitose…" Keisuke trailed off.

"Right… yeah… I suppose I don't need to ask how Ryuji-san is taking it…" Touma rubbed his neck, not really sure of what else to say.

"…Yeah, Ryuji and Chitose really do go way back… they were part of an old hacking team a long time ago called Jude… before Digimon were every really a thing. He's… not going to be… back to normal for… I… really don't know what to say here…" Keisuke sighed. It was fairly obvious that he was affected greatly by the loss as well.

"…Sorry; when I saw the Eaters everywhere on the upper floors, I raced down as fast as I could… if I had made it down here a little faster…"

"Don't; please don't," Keisuke spoke up. "It's not your fault… you did what you could to try and get down here… besides; it looked like to me that you had your own battle to fight.

"I… suppose…" Touma shook his head. "I just wish I could have done something more…"

Keisuke frowned, but suddenly perked up. He looked away as if he was listening to someone on a cell phone, even holding up his hand to his ear to replicate it.

"…Ok, I'll ask him." The Hudie Hacker suddenly stated.

"Guessing Erika-san is talking to you? What's up?" Touma asked.

"Yeah… I don't know if you heard it, but on this floor, there was a loud voice speaking before the Eaters showed up. I didn't recognize it at first, but Erika heard it through me and thinks she knows who's responsible; she wanted to know if you might be interested in whatever plan she has cooked up."

It didn't take long for Touma to reply.

"Just tell me who I'm punching and I'll call it good." Touma answered with a stern expression. "Two people pissed me off today; Samson and whoever pulled this horrible stunt. And I'm looking to rough up number two since the first one is already dealt with…"

"Believe me; you're not the only one… I don't know what Erika has in mind, but if she's personally doing it… it's going to be good." Keisuke replied. "Well… if you're in, there's really no point in beating around the bush…"

It was here that Kamijou Touma learned the culprit behind the entire scheme.

"Does the name Kishibe Rie mean anything to you?"

* * *

 **And here we are at the bottom. Normally, this story is more focused on Touma's own route with occasional overlaps... next chapter will be one instances of this not truly being in effect... but for good reason, I'm sure you'll understand.**

 **That said... how did you enjoy this little spice of darkness? Was it to your liking? Hopefully you'll see as things get a little more serious going forward.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	11. Kamishiro

**Welcome back! Another chapter hot off the presses! It's still warm, in fact!**

 **Before we dive in... lets look at some reviews!**

 _Animan10:_ Yeah... stuff gets intense in both games around this time. Hehehe, did Kimeramon's return surprise you? Not gonna lie, When I did the digivolution scenes, that theme would somewhat regularly pop into my head. And yes, that is a very fun fact/

 _whwsms:_ thanks for your continued viewing, my friend. I really do appreciate it!

 _WilliamZ0:_ It's just how it seemed, I didn't mean to offend. Yeah, she is frequently used... but with something like this, I couldn't think of too many other people who be regular; due to Mikoto's abilities with hacking due to her ability, she struck me as a natural to include. Plus... I haven't seriously used her in anything other than a side role for a while. Accelerator is fun to use... but his ability has the nice tendency to break everything; he's too strong. That being said, I'm glad you enjoy how I have her here! There are many questions, yes... you'll see...

 _Mr. X:_ Yup... one more stage to go. Yes, the second match is inbound... and you'll see what happens... As for Machina Revolution, we're not done with them yet! And actually, no; I haven't... I really do need to...

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Glad you could get into the intensity! Yeah... Samson and Touma's interaction is fun... my mind-set for Samson is that he means well, but is inherently broken as a person, only able to see things from his point of view, so even something like being used isn't a set-back. Thus, Touma arrives to deal with his broken mentality, as he slips further down the rabbit hole. But, as said above... Machina Revolution isn't finished yet...!

 _Guest (1):_ Glad your still having fun! We'll be touching on some of your questions today... say, since I've come to recognize your reviewing style, how about giving yourself a unique name?

 _wiliamsusanto:_ Well... you're about to find out!

 **With that done... remember; while most of the story is kind of its own beast, this is the one exception that appears on the surface to take place in another... but there is a reason for that, I assure you! As well as a... fun surprise... fufufufu...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Are… you sure he is going to show?" Keisuke crossed his arms momentarily.

"He messaged me, saying he's on the way. Something about feeding his roommates." The one who responded was the other Mishima sibling, Erika. She had appeared in person rather than just being a voice behind a computer, and the two were standing in the entrance to another Kamishiro location: the Avalon Server. Unlike Under Zero, this location was more for administration and corporate purposes by Kamishiro's higher ups. Although its layout was very similar to Under Zero, the Avalon Server was much more colorful in its presentation, giving a more upbeat tone, which made sense considering who used it.

It also held a secret exclusive room that only the acting CEO of Kamishiro could gain access. The one currently filling that role due to circumstances involving an Eater attack during the EDEN 2.0 demonstration, an incident that ultimately resulted in the entire acting board of directors being removed from service, was none other than one Kishibe Rie.

"…Yeah, he has some… unusual roommates from how he described them…" Keisuke commented.

A few moments passed before the sound of running footsteps could be heard moving toward them.

"S-sorry… fixing dinner was a pain… had to choose between beef, chicken, or pasta…" Touma breathed out when he caught up to the two Hudie hackers.

"…Then what was the problem?" Erika asked.

"Index wanted all three, and I had to fight with her to back down, not to mention cooking it…" Touma sighed.

"A-all three!?" Erika stammered. "The thought of that… makes me sick…"

"Don't mind her so much… she doesn't eat a lot…" Keisuke commented. "…Though that does sound like more than a bit much…"

"That's just Index for you… the human garbage disposal…" Touma crossed his arms. "So… what exactly are we doing here? You mentioned some payback but said you've give me the details later."

A few days had gone by, and the events of the Under Zero invasion by Eaters had gone public. Numerous new victims of EDEN Syndrome had come out of it, notably one Imai Chitose. Kamishiro inevitably blamed it all on the Hackers involved, without a single mention of the Eaters that someone high up in Kamishiro let out into the server.

However, to a select few, who was truly responsible was easy to figure out. Erika happened to be one of those few due to her own association with Kamishiro. The likely culprit was none other than Kishibe Rie herself.

The two hacker's reason for being there? Some good old-fashioned revenge. They knew she was responsible, but that was pointless unless they had some proof.

"So we're raiding her personal data archives then… find something incriminating, and turn it over to whoever needs to see it?" Touma asked.

"Specifically… data related to Kamishiro and illegal dealings." Erika stated. "A job we had some time ago involved raiding a police server and locating some specific data… while I think it ended up deleted from their server, I believe a copy may very well still exist here in Kamishiro's own private sectors."

"So find it and turn it over to the police, and then let the law handle them for all the trouble they caused…" Touma mused. "…Sounds good to me. Legal system can probably do more damage than we can… though I'd still like to throw a punch or two at this woman…"

"…Be sure to let me in on that. We can take turns holding her down while the other slugs her." Erika was very blunt about her opinion on the spiky-haired teen's suggestion.

"Eh… Erika's anger data is raising…" Wormmon appeared next to the two hackers.

"…You can still tell her emotions that easily, huh?" Touma blinked.

"That's right… because Erika and I are connected! Two minds as one for double the power!" Wormmon cheerfully stated.

"I wouldn't exactly say double…" Erika trailed off.

"T-that's mean!" Wormmon whined.

"…I recall you saying that before…" Touma stated. "Can… I ask how? Or is that… sensitive information?"

"…Tell me your secret and I'll tell you mine." The sullen girl replied. "Pay back for what happened in Under Zero can't be your only reason; you had no personal investment. I invited you for this based on a hunch, and I'm after some answers."

"So you told me to come just to hound me for information yourself, huh?" Touma sighed. "…Fair enough I guess. Sure, I'm just as pissed about the whole Under Zero thing like everyone else, but I didn't really know too many people that well; anyone I did know who was lost was just an acquaintance at best."

"So why did you decide to tag along?" Keisuke asked.

"Well, for one: pissed. I was angry at the time over the whole thing and wanted to slug someone, so someone giving me the opportunity to do just that was exactly what I was after." Touma replied. "…And you were asking for help. I don't know you two that well, but I can tell you're good people put into a bad situation… especially considering that unlike me, you both lost someone you cared about… in a situation like that, I'm more than happy to lend a hand."

"Is that so…?" Erika crossed her arms.

"Yeah," Touma nodded. "Plus, if information hunting is what we're doing, then I might be able to grab something I need myself."

"Eh? What would Kamishiro have that you'd be interested in?" Keisuke asked.

"Let's just say… some outside factions have been watching the whole ordeal with Machina Revolution rather closely… and while we have information out that it was them just simply working with Kamishiro, some evidence of some kind involving their dealings would do wonders for calming these factions down from accusing each other of nefarious deeds…" Touma answered.

"…Even that hacker group was on Kamishiro payroll? I heard about the Demons possibly being related, but I thought that was just hearsay…" Keisuke commented.

"So just being a good samaritan coupled with some personal anger toward the situation… and a convenient method to calm down the powers that be… I suppose that checks out." Erika stated. "…But…"

"Why do I feel like I'm not going to enjoy this incoming question…!?" Touma stated.

"…Does one of these sides have to do with… magic?" The sullen girl asked.

Touma stayed quiet for a moment.

"…I'm guessing that trying to tell you "That's silly," or something similar probably isn't going to dissuade you." The unlucky Kamijou finally replied.

"The fact you said that more or less sealed it." Erika stated. "The few times you and Keisuke crossed paths, I was running support or otherwise observing… and I've seen a few things. Digimon suddenly digivolving for no reason is one thing, but fire and lightning from seemingly normal people is another. I know Esper abilities are applicable online, but considering the circumstances…"

"Yeah… alright, you caught it." Touma exhaled. "What do you want to know?"

"Machina Revolution… what are they? Really?" Erika asked with a stern expression. Touma took some time to choose his words carefully before responding to her.

"…They are a magic cabal; a large organization of mages come together for a shared goal." Touma replied. "They might not all have the exact same desires or motivations, but their goal is the same. From what I can tell, their goal is to "create paradise," whatever that means. Moreover, EDEN appears to be part of it somehow. Those attacks you saw coming from them… that was magic. I don't know why magic works in EDEN, but it's probably similar to why Esper powers do."

"I see…" Erika responded rather calmly, especially considering what she was being told.

"That's about it when it comes to them specifically… their stunts of using magic in EDEN and causing a uproar apparently pissed off some people on the magic side of the world when they learned about it, and are hounding the science side for answers, accusing the whole side of doing it purposefully. As for why that's bad, it involves some politics between the sides that I'm not sure I fully understand. Let's just say that magic and science mixing is bad and leave it at that." Touma finished.

"…This magic stuff sounds confusing, and all you did was give us the basics…" Keisuke stated.

"Believe me; I agree. I had all this stuff dropped on my head out of the blue way back when…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"Kamijou Touma… are you a magician?" Erika asked with just a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Nope… my right hand just happens to negate magic, and somehow it decides to come with me here in EDEN… there is some back story… but if we keep talking like this we're never going to get anywhere. I can talk in detail when we're not illegally in a private company's server, alright?"

"I thought you wanted to know about the connection between me and Wormmon?" Erika asked.

"I do… but I also want to get this done too." Touma replied.

"…Just one more question." Erika stated. The unlucky Kamijou sighed.

"Fine… what is it?" Touma put his hands into his coat pockets. Then, Erika asked the question.

A questioned that earned her concerned looks from her two companions.

"…Can magic fix me?" Erika asked.

Touma blinked.

"Fix… you?" He tilted his head and frowned. "You… seem fine to me… is something wrong…?"

"It will require a bit of storytelling… but perhaps it would be best if we walked and talked instead. You do have a point about us needed to get this done." The sullen girl replied.

"Erika… are you sure?" Keisuke asked.

"Of course… it is my story to tell. I'm counting on you to trust me." Erika replied. After a moment, the Hudie hacker nodded before leading the group through the server.

It was a bit of a maze, but with several firewalls evident of a high security placement being the main method of deterring trespassers. There were even digimon, seeming under "employment" of some kind to guard the area, though Keisuke did his best to keep them at bay. His team had digivolved; his Golemon had become Volcamon: a humanoid strongly resembling an American football player with a volcano on its back. His Seadramon had become MegaSeadramon, a sea serpent just like before, but trading its blue color scheme for red, as well as gaining more fins and a metallic helmet with a silver horn extending from it. Even his MegaKabuterimon had ascended to a mega level to become Hercules Kabuterimon, a large golden insect greatly resembling a Hercules beetle.

As they walked, Keisuke fought, all the while Erika talked. She had a condition related to brain damage from a car accident when she was younger that unfortunately took the lives of her and Ryuji's parents. The two siblings survived, but the one who truly came out unscathed was unfortunately the brother.

After the incident, Erika's brain would regularly overload on information it had, the damage she sustained making it difficult to process all her sensory input to the point of affecting her motor control. If left alone, it would even begin to mess with her internal biological systems, which would inevitably lead to death.

Then Kamishiro came in. Out of nowhere, they offered a solution: offload some of the information in her brain to a digital space to reduce the strain on her mind, and hook her up to a digital server to allow normal brain function. The method involved digitizing her memories and storing them, though recently it was revealed that Kishibe Rie had forced Ryuji into doing work for Kamishiro in exchange for this treatment.

However, it was just a stopgap measure. Her injury wouldn't heal naturally due to its severity, or at least not enough in time to change her fate. Offloading her memories helped significantly, but other information gathered naturally outside of her memories in addition to natural brain development would bring about the problem once again, and other parts of her mind were far from safe to attempt to digitize and remove.

Eventually, even if she regularly digitized her memories, she would still die. She likely wouldn't even make it to eighteen years of age.

"So… when you said that your situation and Accelerator's were similar…" Touma trailed off.

"That's right," Erika answered. "To be honest, I thought Kamishiro was the only one capable of doing it like this… but I suppose Academy City is supposedly the most advanced place on the planet…"

"I'm guessing that when you say Wormmon and you are connected… it's that he is actually hooked up to your memory server too?" Touma asked. Erika nodded. "I see… have you tried to go to Academy City?"

"…Too expensive for us. Just getting inside would need a small fortune… let alone paying for an advanced medical procedure…" Erika frowned. "…And after losing Chitose, Ryuji is off god knows where and won't answer me when I call…"

It was pretty easy to figure out how Ryuji was feeling after hearing that. The man had suffered a tragic loss of his parents, his best friend, and considering his eventual loss of his sister…

Nothing more needed to be said as to how lonely he must have felt.

"…So, can magic fix me…?" Erika asked again.

"I… I want to say yes, but…" Touma replied. "Magic is… well; magic. I might interact with it, but that's not the same as fully understanding it…"

"…I see." Erika replied.

"I don't have an answer for you… but…" Touma paused for a moment before shaking his head. "…After a story like that, I can't exactly back down. I'll try to figure something out for you… for all of you guys, so you all can get over this."

"All of us, huh…?" The sullen girl stated. "…I suppose it would do more than just cheer up Onii-san, huh…"

"Think how Keisuke is feeling; he knows all of this already, right?" Touma replied. "I'm sure he'd be absolutely ecstatic to hear about it, eh?"

"…Why specifically Keisuke?" Erika glared at the unlucky Kamijou.

"If you have to ask that question, then you already know why." Touma replied. "Besides, you two are already on a first name basis; it's hard not to connect the dots."

"I-I am right here, you know that!?" Keisuke suddenly turned around and shouted.

"Oh hey, you got back from the fight; how'd it go?" Touma smiled and waved.

"…Bringing you was a mistake." Erika stated coldly.

"Well I'm already here, so let's finish this up, alright?" Touma replied with a grin.

"…I think I see the access point up ahead." Keisuke stated, eager to change the topic.

True to his word though, they had reached the end of the first floor. The access point lead them to a small circular room. It was mostly blue with several small cubes floating around aimlessly.

"Guessing this is some kind of a safe zone?" Touma asked.

"Something similar. I've been here once before, but never went on ahead." Keisuke answered.

"Yeah… this is our second time hacking into the Avalon Server…" Wormmon stated.

"Second time huh… the hacking world sure does take you to some strange places…" Touma stated as he looked around.

"Wormmon," Erika called out to her partner. "The next step is important: this area is close to Kamishiro's personal terminals in their headquarters. Go to Kishibe's office from here and steal the password to the secret room from her computer."

"…This is sounding more illegal by the second…" Touma commented.

"Quit complaining; the password is changed every day, so we need to steal it from her terminal to gain access." Erika shot back, crossing her arms in the process.

"Understood! Leave it to me!" Wormmon replied confidently before wiggling off to the edge of the room, looking for a way out.

"Will he be ok?" Touma asked.

"He'll be fine. He's gotten a lot more reliable since we started sharing our memories… he used to be such a klutz…" Erika actually smiled when she was finished speaking.

However…

"AHHHHHH! It's a traaaaap!" Wormmon could be heard screaming from across the room. "Eeeek! S-security Digimon are heading this way!? What did I do wroooong!?"

The group was silent for a moment.

"…Used to be a klutz, huh?" Touma deadpanned.

"W-well… I didn't expect it to be easy…" Erika replied.

"I think we should move on ahead before we start having second thoughts…" Keisuke commented.

The group pushed on ahead, hoping that Wormmon would avoid death and deliver the password they do desperately needed. There were only two more floors ahead of them, but at the last portion of the final floor, they reached a dead end.

"…So this must be it, I guess? A secret room would be hidden… so it'd make sense to not have it openly visible…" Touma questioned.

"More or less; hidden from view until the password is entered." Erika answered. She then opened up the chat line on her console. "Wormmon… did you get the password?"

For a moment, there was only heavy breathing on the line.

"I… got… it…!" Wormmon's voice came through, though the little guy was clearly exhausted.

"…Why are you so out of breath? Was it really that much of a challenge?" Erika asked.

"You don't have any idea how many traps and security walls I had to bypass… but it worked out in the end!" Wormmon was starting to sound cheerful again.

"…How many of them did you set off on accident?" Touma asked.

"D-don't ask me that! It's really embarrassing, ok!?" Wormmon whined. It was clear he went through quite the ordeal.

"…Can we get the password?" Keisuke asked.

"Oh! Sure! Hold on!" Wormmon joyfully replied. After a few moments, all three received a message of some kind. "Ok! Password sent!"

All three opened up their console to check what was sent to them and promptly froze in place. It wasn't because of some kind of virus however…

…It was the password itself that gave these three pause.

"… The password is… Rie*total_goddess…" Keisuke spoke aloud.

"…I didn't think it was possible for her to make me want to punch her more, but here she goes and does it." Touma replied. "If this is today's, what are some of the others?"

"It goes on a cycle from the looks of it… yesterday's was… hmm?" The little Wormmon trailed off. "…Erika, what's sex?"

The normally sullen girl flushed bright red almost instantly… as did everyone else on the line.

"…What?" Erika asked.

"Sex… yesterday's password has this word in it, but I don't recognize it." Wormmon replied, completely unabashed due to not knowing what the word he was throwing around meant.

"…Forget it. Get back here; I need you here when we head inside." Erika stated.

"But I want to know! Your offhand memories don't refer to it, so I'd have to go digging to find out… so what is it?" Wormmon asked again.

"If you go digging for that, I will beat you!" Erika somehow turned a darker shade of red, shouting angrily. However, shortly after she managed to calm down. "…I'll… tell you later… s-so just get back here…"

"Ok then! Be back soon!" Wormmon replied before cutting the line. A few minutes went by before then the little digimon returned. With everyone present and accounted for, Erika entered in the password. As she did, a bright white light appeared at the dead end, eventually taking the shape of a doorway. One at a time, the group stepped through into the secret room.

…It was pink.

It was very, very pink. It had a pink loveseat, a large pink bed with pink curtains. Even the ground and the walls of the circular room were pink. The only other colors present where white and gold, but they were completely eclipsed by all of the pink in the room.

Other than that, it seemed very much akin to a women's bedroom. A small bookshelf, a dresser, a make-up table, and several mirrors. Many pictures were hung around the room… and they were all pictures of Rie herself.

"…This… is making my head hurt." Erika groaned.

"I think it's a perfect fit for a girl…" Touma began. "…If they were… a three year old or something…"

"She certainly has… unique… tastes…" Keisuke commented.

"Yeah that's… definitely a word…" The spiky-haired teen shook his head. "So this is her super-secret information storage place?"

"…Unfortunately," Erika sighed. "Alright… search the room. We're after the crime data… but if you find anything that might be related to Kamishiro's dealings with Hackers, let us know. Kamijou needs that for his own dealings."

Thus, the group began to search around the room. There was a book on the bed, but it didn't have any information related to either party's needs, so they quickly discarded it. Much of the room didn't have any information related to what they were looking for, and by process of elimination, only two places were left.

The make-up table and the dresser.

"…Why does this reek of some kind of cheap perfume…" Touma commented. "…Better question, why does anyone need perfume in cyber space? Or make-up for that matter? At least the furniture serves SOME purpose, but this seems like a waste of memory…"

"I'm getting the vibe that Rie is more than a tad eccentric…" Keisuke replied.

"…Well, maybe the drawers have something..." Touma went digging, doing his best to ignore the strong sent coming from the table. All that was inside was make-up cases and different scents of perfume. Growing irritated, Touma began to throw out different objects behind him as he dug through.

However, one of the makeup cases broke apart completely after hitting the ground, revealing what seemed like a small notebook.

"…Hey, Kamijou-san. You might have found something." Keisuke stated as he picked up the book.

"Actually hid it inside object data…? Clever…" Erika commented. "Though its durability was lacking…"

"Hey, don't complain when you get good fortune. I'll take it as a personal offense if you do." Touma stated. "Well, what is it?" Keisuke opened up the notebook and began thumbing through slowly.

"…I think this is what you're looking for, Kamijou-san." The Hudie hacker reported. "It has a lot of details about hacker groups… Zaxon… Demons… Machina Revolution is in here too. Even has comments about what she needed them to do as well as details about meetings with them… apparently Kishibe saw Machina Revolution performing magic and got interested, and ended up sponsoring them and their campaigns…"

"Great; that should clear things up." Touma stated. "I just need to get this to Stiyl sometime soon. Hope it's enough; don't need another war just because some magicians went a little bonkers on the internet."

Keisuke handed the book over to Touma. As solid as the information that it contained was, it didn't have anything related to Kamishiro's dark underbelly, so that left only one place left to check.

The dresser.

Moreover, it was full off…

"…" Keisuke couldn't bring himself to speak.

"…Why are you holding women's underwear?" Erika asked, a very clear force of contempt leaking out of every syllable. Keisuke reflexively dropped it and tried to speak, but nothing but a flood of random letters could escape his lips as he cowered in fear.

"I-I'm sensing a lot of anger data…!" Wormmon cowered in just as much fear. She appeared to stomp towards the duo, as they were both checking the dresser, but an unusual question seemed to derail the girl's fury.

"…Why does she even have underwear in cyber space?" Touma asked. "I mean… can we actually take off our clothes in EDEN? Isn't it all just part of our avatar when it gets scanned in…?"

Erika paused, seemingly pondering this new information.

"…So then why would she have a drawer full of it…?" She asked openly before walking over to the drawer itself and began digging through it with gusto.

In the end, she pulled out something resembling a data file.

"…Is that…?" Keisuke blinked.

"The crimes data...!" Erika stated. "I already checked it… it has all kinds of dirt on her and Kamishiro… plus a few things on Kishibe Rie personally…"

"Too bad you won't be leaving with it."

The appearance of another person was quite the shock. Light steps could be heard slowly making their way into the hidden room from behind. It didn't take long for the surprise guest to make herself known.

"My… what an unexpected surprise!" A woman spoke in an upbeat tone, as if she was trying to sound younger than she actually was.

"Kishibe… Rie…!" Erika called out in surprise.

"That's my name… Mishima Erika." The woman in question spoke. "…And what's this? Going through my private undie drawer? How shameful!" Despite her contemptful words, she kept up the playful tone.

"Why do you even have an undie drawer? You don't even need one on EDEN! The only reason you'd have one would be for someone to purposefully find them! What the hell are you thinking!?" Touma shouted.

"…I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't spoil all the secrets of a young woman, Kamijou-kun." Rie frowned.

"You've got to be kidding me- …wait, how do you know my name!?" Touma grew nervous; he was more than sure that he had never met this woman in his life. How did she know her?

"…Wormmon. You know what to do, right?" Erika whispered.

"You got it! Leave it to me; be careful!" Wormmon cheerfully replied before wiggling away on his little feet. The sensual woman barely acknowledged the little digimon's existence, instead choosing to focus on the three teenagers before her.

"Oh I know you quite well. But don't feel singled out; I know Erika-chan very well too!" Rie replied. "It's too bad that big brother Ryuji isn't here… it must have been scary without him keeping you all nice and safe like he always does, hmm…?"

"…You're going to pay for that…!" Erika grit her teeth. "You're going to pay… for Ryuji and Chitose! Do you hear me!?"

"Aww, he got one of his friends mixed in with it too? Looks like you're not the only one relying on others to live." Rie replied. "…So, I assume you're here for revenge? Is that really your place…? After all; you're the cause of all of his suffering… unavoidable death is such a pain, wouldn't you agree?"

Erika suddenly backed off with her eyes wide. Rie laughed lightly; accusing Erika of being the source of her own brother's depression and desperation tore her heart asunder, and she absolutely loved it. She opened up her mouth to speak again, but someone else shouted over her.

"Hey! Shut the hell up you son of a bitch" Touma shouted. "Arguing fault when there is nothing either of them could have done… you don't have the right! Shut the fuck up before I beat your teeth in and make you, do you hear me!?"

"…Ah yes, then there is you. The one with the least reason to be here." Rie frowned. "I was actually looking forward to tearing the dying princess apart… but you just had to speak up, didn't you?"

"…This woman is pissing me off." Touma glared at the green-haired woman. "Hey; what do you say before we throw her to the wolves he rough her up a little bit? I don't know about you, but one punch won't be enough for me to calm down after hearing this crap pour from that disgusting mouth of hers."

"Do you even need to ask?" Keisuke stepped forward, looking ready for a fight himself.

"…You might be right." Erika spoke up. "All of this… never would have happened to Ryuji if it wasn't for me…"

"Erika-"

"But… did you think that even for a second that I'd just sit here and let you get away with manipulating him like that!?" Erika shot out next. "I'm going to bring you crashing to the ground, even if it's the last thing I'll do!"

"My… so hostile… and those big strong men you got with you are looking to man-handle me… ah… it's too bad." Rie replied. "I wanted this to go on for a little longer… but I'm just a tad curious about that little digimon who escaped… so, since you all are pressuring me…!"

The form of Kishibe Rie changed instantly. There wasn't even a flash of light to disguise it.

In her absence, there stood a tall but sleek digimon, covered in slender pink and gold armor, looking very reminiscent of a knight.

"…You!" Touma shouted.

"That's right… long time no see, Kamijou-kun." Crusadermon stated with confidence. "Did you miss me?"

"A human… turning into a digimon… what…?" Erika spoke in utter disbelief.

"You're the one who attacked me and Hamazura in that Digital Shift!" Touma spat. "Was that your doing too!?"

"Guilty as charged, I'm afraid… you sure caught me off guard with that power you had hidden away… but I haven't just been sitting on my hands either." The pink knight replied. "I noticed something… no matter how bad things got in Under Zero… you never unleashed it once… you can't use that power on your own, can you?"

Touma clicked his teeth as he clenched his fists.

"…What is she talking about?" Keisuke asked.

"It's not a good time to be asking questions…!" Touma replied.

"Ah… but now all of you have seen my true form… something that no one else has yet to see… what to do about this…" Crusadermon mused openly.

"…You have no intention of letting us leave here alive, do you?" Erika questioned.

"Give the girl a piece of candy; for being so sheltered you are rather quick witted, aren't you? Saves me the trouble of explaining what's going to happen to you." Crusadermon replied.

"Not a chance in hell! DoruGreymon!" Touma shouted. At his command, the new and improved beast digimon manifested and charged right at the pink knight, intending to run her through with his horn.

However, Crusadermon gracefully dodged to the side and kicked DoruGreymon across his rather large head, sending him rolling toward the south side of the circular room.

"An ultimate level, huh? Not bad… but still no comparison to me." She boasted.

"Yeah? Well how about this!?" Keisuke shouted. The pink knight turned her attention toward the Hudie hacker before suddenly being blindsided by HerculesKabuterimon, who slammed its own massive body into Crusadermon's own. At point blank, the golden beetle began to glow bright yellow before discharging its own signature technique, **Giga Blaster,** and sending the knight digimon flying with a massive wave of electricity.

Though caught off guard, Crusadermon managed to grind to a halt, appearing none too pleased.

"You… that actually HURT!" Crusadermon raced forward and slammed her gauntlet into HerculesKabuterimon's stomach, unleashing her **Fist of Athena** at close range. The resulting explosion sent the golden beetle flying into the air.

A massive tail suddenly slammed into the knight digimon's side, it eventually being revealed to be none other than DoruGreymon unleashing the attack. However, she was able to grab ahold of the beast digimon's tail and slow herself down, before abruptly lifting up the massive digimon and hurling him into the air. DoruGreymon retaliated while airborne with a **Metal Meteor** attack, although Crusadermon unleashed her own **Spiral Masquerade** , using the golden streamers on her body to slice the flaming piece of iron to pieces before it could do damage.

Using his surprisingly effective wings, DoruGreymon lowered himself to the ground, still staring down the knightly digimon. HerculesKabuterimon landed a fair distance behind Crusadermon, and still looked more than ready for a fight.

"…I think this thing is a bit tough for just two digimon to handle." Touma commented.

"I suppose so…" Keisuke nodded in agreement. MegaSeadramon and Volcamon manifested and took positions on Crusadermon's left and right flanks, respectively.

In response, the knight digimon let out a chuckle.

"Three ultimates and only a single mega… you are underestimating me, aren't you? Or is this simply the best you got?" Crusadermon mocked. "Though I must admit, for those working with what you have, you are doing a passable job at entertaining me. You even managed to hit me a few times… that electric attack strung…"

Despite the verbal berating that the pink knight was giving them, both Keisuke and Touma remained strong.

"I suppose this is commendable… you managed to inflict damage onto one of Yggdrasil's Royal Knights… as a reward, I'll start taking you seriously…"

She looked like she was ready for a second round when she suddenly paused.

"…Huh? W-what the hell!?" Crusadermon spoke in shock as a console screen opened up forcefully on her right.

Touma and Keisuke exchanged looks, but Erika only smirked.

"What…? The police are on their way? Here!?" Crusadermon spat in anger.

"…That's right; your secret is out, miss Royal Knight." Erika replied. "You didn't even notice I didn't have it anymore, did you?"

"W-what…!?" Crusadermon shifted toward the normally sullen girl. There was one important thing missing from her person.

The Cyber Crime Data that she had fished out of the dresser that used to be in her hand.

"What did you…!? No… that Wormmon!?" Crusadermon cursed. "Where did he-"

"Right to a certain detective's desk; a particular one who's been looking into Kamishiro for a long time… does Detective Matayoshi ring any bells?" Erika spoke confidently. "Is it really safe for you to keep fighting like this? You might be powerful here, but your physical body is another story, isn't it?"

Crusadermon let out a low growl.

"Insolent little brat…! I won't let you interfere with my plan…! I will have your head for this, do you hear me!?" Crusadermon shouted loud before dashing into the secret room's edge, vanishing into it.

"You guys… know a detective? Who was looking into this?" Touma asked.

"Detective Matayoshi… is something of a family friend." Erika commented. "…We don't have much time. I tipped Matayoshi off so that he would be ready the moment he got the information. I want to see Kishibe Rie cry with my own two eyes!"

"Hold on, where are we going!?" Keisuke asked.

"The Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku, right here in Tokyo. That's where her body is right now." Erika quickly answered. Keisuke simply nodded in agreement, not bothering to ask how she knew. Knowing Erika, it was likely something very complicated and debatably illegal anyway.

"I see…" Touma crossed his arms. "…I guess this is where we have to part ways then. I'm in Academy City; getting out would take hours let alone making it over…"

"That's right… sorry about this. Making sure she is caught is top priority." Keisuke replied.

"It's fine… I understand; this is your fight after all, not mine. I'm just the third wheel." Touma nodded. "…Though I think I'll hang back a bit. After all the shit she caused, trashing her secret room sounds like a good way to calm down."

"…Guess so!" Keisuke nodded with a smile. "Stay safe, log out as soon as you're done, alright?"

"You got it… and Erika-san," Touma called out. "I meant what I said; I'll figure something out. Don't worry about a thing and just leave it to me, alright? Go make sure Kishibe pays for what she did and take care of your brother until then, ok?"

Erika didn't verbally respond, simply nodding for a reason. Keisuke's three digimon returned to his Digivice before the two left the room.

Now left to his lonesome with his partner digimon, Touma turned to face the rest of the room. Some things were crushed, but most of it was still intact.

"…So where do you want to start?" Touma asked, with DoruGreymon grinning in response.

Both of them were feeling extra malicious today.

 **-Tokyo, Metropolitan Building-**

"You've got to be fucking kidding me… that worm had the data the whole time!?" Rie cursed as she stood up. She got onto her feet so quickly, the chair she used fell backward.

She had her own private office at the Metropolitan Building, mostly because of the company's dealings with the city's government due to EDEN's heavy presence there. She ran to her door and out into the hall, running toward the stairs. Even if her true form was that of a digimon, it was a form she could not use while in the human world outside of a digital shift.

She ran to the stairs, thinking that the police would likely have called ahead and stopped them from running to aid in her arrest, but that was when the unthinkable happened.

The downward stairs was replaced by a mass of digital chaos, just like a digital shift. Only the stairs upward was left unharmed. She looked back and saw that the rest of the floor ad been similarly affected; her own office was inaccessible, and the elevator she had previously disregarded was completely erased as well.

She then discovered that she wasn't alone.

"You didn't really think that you were the only one capable of manipulating digital waves, did you?"

Rie's heart sunk as she took the stairs. The voice came from all directions, but that wasn't the reason why she ran.

Kamishiro, to the best of her knowledge, was the only organization with the capability of causing digital shifts, but right now, she was trapped in one of someone else's design. Transforming into a digimon held little significance at the moment, as she had no idea where her current assailant was.

On the upper floor, the stairs up were gone, which would force her to race across the floor to find another set, but something she saw unsettled her.

She saw someone floating amidst the digital chaos that took the place of the stairs.

It looked like a man, but he vanished just as quickly as Rie saw him. Considering the situation she was in with police on the way, she pressed ahead.

She came to a section where the ground had vanished, and she had to cut through a conference room to reach the other side, but while she did so, she had another sighting.

This time, a woman.

Rie ran, her mind racing even faster than before. Just who the hell was stalking her!? Were these random people behind this!? She found the next set, fortunately leading up, but once more she found a person.

A child.

At this point Kishibe Rie was done and ascended into her Crusadermon form, unleashing an attack upon the child, but just as it would land, the adolescent vanished without a trace.

Rie took the stairs up, unsure of what could have changed due to the shift and not eager to find out by breaking the walls or the ceiling. Once more she had to traverse the next floor, which she did much more quickly due to her form as a digimon, but this did not stop her from another sighting.

An adult.

She didn't even bother attacking, as whoever it was would likely vanish before anything landed. She arrived at the next set of stairs, only to find them completely destroyed, but the elevators appeared to be functional. The moment it opened however, she saw someone else waiting for her.

A saint.

"D-don't screw with me!" Crusadermon/Rie fired her **Fist of Athena** into the elevator, blowing it apart instantly. The elevator fell due to the sudden shock, and the digimon/human hybrid climbed up quickly, taking the very first door she found out. However, as she exited she looked down, checking to see if she had done in her foe. She saw someone, but this time too it was different.

A sinner.

Rie roared out loudly before firing three rounds downward, causing the entire elevator shaft to go up in flames. Afterward, she wasted no time in exiting the flaming shaft. She was now close to the rooftop. She cursed; whoever was doing this was leading her here. However, despite the outside world appearing rather normal, she maintained her form as a digimon with little difficulty, so the digital shift must have been persisting. She pressed on to the helipad on the roof before she saw one final person standing right in the middle.

This one however had no intention of running away.

Long silver hair.

A twisted silver staff in the human's right hand.

The human spoke only once before chaos erupted.

"I believe I made myself clear… that there was to be consequences if you attempted to bring harm to Kamijou Touma."

 **-Avalon Server-**

"…And that is that." Touma dusted off his hands, despite actually not needing to, as he walked out of the secret room and back into the Avalon Server. He had a rather satisfied look on his face; whatever he did inside appeared to have left him very content with the day's events.

DoruGreymon had safely withdrawn to his partner's Digivice, and with little else to keep him in place, Touma made his way for the server's logout point.

Just as he reached there however, someone else appeared. At first, he thought he had been caught trespassing in a server that he should not have been in, but he calmed down rather quickly after seeing who it was.

"…Tsuchimikado? What are you doing here?" The unlucky Kamijou asked.

"Looking for you, nya!" The blond spy replied. "Heard that there was some kind of ruckus going on over in Tokyo involving the acting head of Kamishiro… so I figured I'd check some of their private servers and see if a certain someone was causing trouble for them, nya."

"Cut the crap, you knew I was here, didn't you?" Touma sighed. "…Though I wonder how you got in…"

"When I do work for people in the wonderful online lands, I keep the keys to a few places and make some shortcuts. I'd go into more detail, but the higher-end stuff would probably go over your head." Tsuchimikado stated.

"I'll… just take your word for it." Touma nodded. "Actually, this might be a good thing. Do you have Stiyl as contact? I've sent him a few requests but he keeps turning them down."

"Nya… so that's how it is, huh?" Tsuchimikado replied. "Yeah, I got him as a contact. Am I giving him a message or delivery?"

"Delivery; he'll definitely want to see this." Touma fished out the digital notebook.

"What's this…? A database…?" Tsuchimikado opened it up and began thumbing through it.

"Yup… has all details related to Kamishiro's dealings with hacker groups… including Machina Revolution." The spiky-haired teen stated. "Lots of details; they've been the ones supporting them since they started pulling their stunts here in EDEN; it's pretty convincing evidence that all of this was just a cabal and a business organization, not a deep involvement in either side trying to tip the balance scale."

"Yeah, seems fairly in depth… damn… but with how things are looking now, Machina Revolution will have to act without that kind of support…" Tsuchimikado commented as he closed it. "Although I'm here to come and get ahold of you in relation to them to be honest, nya."

"Are they… even still active? I saw Samson get run through by Stiyl… I know it's just here on EDEN, but…" Touma trailed off, not really sure how to describe how he was feeling about it all.

"…Caught onto that, did you?" Tsuchimikado replied in a rather serious tone. "Yeah, he's alive… he's more than a bit of an odd one right now because… well…"

"Something wrong?" Touma questioned.

"…I'll just cut to it; Samson Ainsworth is a victim of EDEN Syndrome."

"…What?" Touma shook his head. "But I saw him here in EDEN! Multiple times in fact… unless… did Stiyl cause it?"

"Nah… he's actually been like this for some time; few months in fact." Tsuchimikado replied. "We're looking into the details… but his body his comatose, just like the rest of the EDEN Syndrome patients… but at the same time, is alive and well here on EDEN. It's the craziest thing…"

"…I wonder if Aiba-san would know anything…" Touma commented. "So what's the damage this time?"

"I just got a job to take down their boss once and for all." Tsuchimikado replied. "Don't know what they are planning now, but the powers that be have finally had enough of them it looks like, nya"

"What has them so scared?" Touma crossed his arms.

"No idea… but I think it's that Kimeramon situation…" The blond spy replied. "It being made by magic is one thing, but one of those monsters turning back into it… I don't think they really get the whole situation with Eaters, but them hearing about a dead monster of some kind resurrect itself due to its creation as a magical beast probably got their attention."

"So take them down to avoid using it… man; this whole thing sounds like a train wreck…" Touma shook his head.

"What say you? I've been contracted to head down and deal with him; I can just say I couldn't find you if you don't want to be involved anymore, nya," Tsuchimikado commented.

Touma closed his eyes for a moment, thinking.

"…He's leading an entire group to force a supposed utopia down the collective people's throats… but more importantly, Samson pissed me off." Touma stated. "Part of me wants to wash my hands with him and walk away, but that kind of ending doesn't sound appealing to me… let's do it."

Tsuchimikado smirked.

"You got it," The blond spy nodded. "Let me drop this off and then we'll get this done. One more step and this whole shit storm is over. Let's get this over with, alright!?"

The final battle was before the unlucky Kamijou before he was truly done with the magic cabal run by Samson Ainsworth…

…But was it truly the final battle? Only time would tell…

* * *

 **And now we've reached the bottom... next we step back into the chase of a certain magic cabal... but did the appearance of a Certain Someone throw you for a loop? I sure hope so!**

 **Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	12. Delta Force

**Another week, another chapter! We're taking another hard look at Machina Revolution**

 **But before that, we have some reviews to reply to!**

 _whwsms:_ Hehe... did Aleister Crowley making a personal appearance throw you off? Glad your enjoying this so far.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ If I caught you off guard, then I did my job right! As for Samson, we're about to find out...!

 _Mr. X:_ I suppose I can see that, as this isn't the final encounter with Rie in canon, but rather the last time she's met before a -certain- event happens. Her fate is more tied up with the first Cyber Sleuth side of things, which Touma's route is separate from. As for M-rated stories... while I do enjoy them form time to time, I have no intention of making one. Nor do intend to take BUI down the M-Rated route either... I feel like something critical would be lost if I did, so it'll be staying T-rated for now. That said, if someone ELSE wants to, they have my full blessing to do an M-Rated story revolving around the Bust Upper... it's not like I invented it or anything!

 _Stitches:_ If you make an account, it'd let you be notified by E-Mail whenever I upload something! That said, it's nice to know you by a name! As for the proceedings... I have a plan.

 _Deep Sea Diver Man:_ Crusadermon got her ass handed to her by the Most Powerful Magician in History. Heh!

 _WilliamZ0:_ I know what you mean about relying on magic... but a desperate girl looking into a possible way out is normal, I'd say. As for stuff with Hacker's Memory's ending... I have a plan; let's put it that way. The Inclusion of the Kamijou Touma route has effects to be sure, but... well; let's just say there is a secret ending unlocked by clearing all three. You'll see what I mean. Don't worry; not taht much with change with Kishibe Rie... it'll be covered when "that" happens. As for stuff with CS... in retrospect I do kind of wish I did craft together some set-pieces to have Touma interact a bit more with the normal CS side of things... but your wish to have Touma and the CS crew meet in IRL will be grated, that much I can guarantee!

 _wiliamsusanto:_ We're not quite at the end just yet, my friend. There is still more of a story

 **With that out of the way... Enjoy!**

* * *

"So this is where they moved to…" Touma commented.

"Seems that way, nya." Tsuchimikado replied with a nod.

The two stood in a secluded area of EDEN, a location typical of many private servers. It appeared much more basic than their previous one by comparison; a faint teal color making up much of the basic rectangular geometry that made up the area, including the borders surrounding the glass-like floor.

Their previous hideout's extravagance made sense when one considered their ties to Kamishiro. Being cut off from such support, a bare bones server was likely all they could afford. Of course, one could also take into account the haste in which they had moved house, which could also explain it, but it was just a minor topic.

Tsuchimikado had tracked members of Machina Revolution to this specific server, noting that numerous people from the cabal came and went rather frequently, so it was either their hideout or a place of significance to them.

"So… probably no mazes this time, huh?" Touma asked.

"Probably not; but they might have made up for it with actual security though… wild digimon purposefully let loose along with some actual manpower if I had to guess." Tsuchimikado crossed his arms.

"Well, let's get to work so we can get this done!"

The person who spoke could only be described as a surprise third wheel. Both Touma and Tsuchimikado turned, ready for a fight, only to let down their guards due to shock.

"A-Aogami!?" Touma stuttered.

"How… did you even get in here?" Tsuchimikado commented.

"Never underestimate the skill of a professional stalker! Just because I don't like doing it to guys don't mean I won't refuse if the need arises!" The blue-haired idiot replied.

"Ok… how about why!?" Touma shouted.

"Because I had a vision…a premonition of the future, Kami-yan!" Aogami fired back. "I saw you… with another girl! I don't know what happens but it ends with you making out with another smoking hot girl, and I'm going to do everything I can to stop it!"

"H-how do you figure that, you idiot!? There aren't going to be girls down here!" Touma grabbed Aogami by his collar. "A-and even if there were, you're telling me your whole purpose of being down here is to stop me from finally getting a girlfriend!? I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Your density shall not defeat me in my cause! Mark my words, the harem of Kami-yan shall fall-"

Touma punched him. Aogami punched back.

A brawl had begun.

"…Hey, normally I'm all for the crazy stuff, but we are kind of busy, nya…" Tsuchimikado commented.

The brawl stopped for a brief moment.

"That is a good question; what are you two doing here?" Aogami asked. He held one of Touma's hands while the spiky-haired teen in question restrained one of his. The two were in their interlocked position on the ground, with Aogami on top.

"A hacker team has been hassling Kami-yan, so we're here to burn their stuff, nya!" Tsuchimikado replied.

"Oh!? You're kidding!?" The blue haired idiot exclaimed. "The only one allowed to pick a fight with him his us! And Fukiyose!"

"Exactly, nya!" The blond spy grinned.

"Oh no I'm really mad!" Aogami shot straight back up to a standing position instantly. "Let's go! No one messes with us! The only one the Delta Force fears is Fukiyose, nya!"

"Nice announcement, now can you stop standing on me!?" Touma demanded.

"…Only if you reject all the girls we meet along the way."

"Why youuuu!" Touma grabbed Aogami's leg and threw him off, quickly getting to his feet. "I'm an unhappily single Kamijou-chan, and you're trying to force me to stay single!?"

"Hey, I'm aware of your density, but don't go making boldface lies like that. You have more girls around you than the rest of our class combined!" Aogami pointed dramatically at the unlucky Kamijou.

"That doesn't matter if they want nothing to do with you!" Touma countered. "Index bites me, Misaka tries to electrocute me, and don't get me started on Fukiyose! Please elaborate on how any of that could possibly be considered a sign of affection!"

"Well, as a fan of BDSM, I would have to say- pbfh!?"

Touma punched him again. Aogami punched back again.

Another brawl had erupted.

"…As amusing as this is, we have work to do. MetalEtemon, can you snap these two out of it?" Tsuchimikado smirked. At his command, his partner materialized into the server.

His Etemon had evolved into the aptly named MetalEtemon, trading his plush-like appearance for that of a large and muscled monkey covered in platinum. He was a Mega-level digimon, without a doubt.

The metal monkey reached and pulled the two fighting teenagers apart. Their reaction was to simultaneously punch MetalEtemon's face, a decision both parties hastily regretted as pain shot up their respective hands as the monkey laughed.

"Ow! What the hell!? What are you made of!? Metal!?" Touma cried out.

"Yes! I am!" MetalEtemon grinned wide. Touma looked up and down the metal monkey before making a deadpan expression.

"…That was a dumb question, wasn't it?" Touma commented. MetalEtemon began to laugh loudly.

But then began to scream and dropped the two boys. Why?

DoruGreymon had appeared next and bit down on MetalEtemon's head and lifted him up due to the beast digimon's larger stature, and began swinging him around. Although the bite didn't hurt due to his metal body, the platinum digimon was far from enthused about being covered in saliva and flung around like a rag doll.

"Put me down! Put me down right now!" MetalEtemon shouted loudly.

"…Guess he didn't like you grabbing me, huh?" Touma commented.

"I know how to solve this! Lilymon! Come on out and soothe the raging beast!" Aogami cheered loudly.

However, no one came to his aid.

"…Guess she doesn't like you." Tsuchimikado stated.

"How!? I gave her all the love and affection a cute girl like her deserves!" The blue haired idiot fired back.

"As I said before, that's exactly the problem! Your concept of love and affection is twisted beyond reason!" Touma shouted.

"H-hey! I am still here! This mutt better put me down or I'll break his- UGWAAA!?" MetalEtemon shouted loud as DoruGreymon suddenly let go of him, sending the metal ape across the room.

DoruGreymon looked proud of himself as MetalEtemon stood back up, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Why… you…!" The platinum digimon made the motion of pushing up his sleeves, despite not having any, and began to march toward DoruGreymon.

"You know… I called you out here to put an end to the fighting, not get involved yourself." Tsuchimikado commented. Instantly, MetalEtemon froze in place before abruptly turning toward his partner and giving a salute.

"Roger! MetalEtemon, reporting for duty!"

"Alright, enough overacting, big guy." Tsuchimikado commented. "Anyway, we're here to thrash some two-bit hackers. Aogami, you sure you want in?"

"Eh, why not? As said, the only ones allowed to bully Kami-yan is us and Fukiyose." Aogami nodded, once more referencing the apparent terror that was Fukiyose Seiri. Despite this though, he was looking at his open console. "Odd… it says that Lilymon did come out when I called… but where did she go…?"

While Aogami was searching for his missing digimon, Touma stepped over to speak with the blond spy.

"Hey… I know right now sending him off would be hard, but are you sure it's really a good idea to bring him with us…" Touma whispered.

"Hard to say… but he does have an ultimate level digimon… that will hopefully present herself, so any and all help would be appreciated." Tsuchimikado shrugged.

"W-what about all of the magic that you know is going to go flying around!?" Touma replied.

"Eh… cross that bridge when we come to it, nya?" Tsuchimikado grinned. Touma was about to reply when Aogami made a rather brash announcement.

"Hah… maybe she went on inside! Very well, I shall give chase, my lovely mistress!" Aogami spoke and began to walk down the path before him.

"…Too late now." Tsuchimikado smiled innocently.

"Any and all explanation is up to you." Touma sighed and began to walk forward. However, he was suddenly lifted up off the ground and found himself being lifted up by his partner's mouth; DoruGreymon had grabbed ahold of him by his collar and turned his rather long neck to place him comfortably on the beast digimon's back.

"…Ok, lead the way." Touma pet a small section of DoruGreymon's neck. The beast digimon appeared to smile and began walking forward, keeping pace with the rest of the group. It started off uneventful for the most part… at least until Touma felt a set of hands on his sides.

It was Lilymon, obviously hiding behind him to keep out of sight from Aogami and his lecherous ways.

Touma didn't need to hear a word; he patted the plant girl's head gently and asked his partner to use his wings to shield her if Aogami happened to turn towards them. His partner nodded and they moved on without issue.

The server was by no means fancy, but that didn't mean that it didn't have any depth to it. It was a bit of a trip to cross, and just as the blond spy suggested, there were more than a few guards on patrol; mostly just individual digimon but also a few magi from the cabal.

However, most of the time they were able to take them by surprise, usually with Tsuchimikado handling the timing. They had a few instances of having to fight, but most of their encounters ended without their foes even able attack or cast a spell.

However, they reached a deadlock before they could reach the final floor. There was an access point that lead deeper, but there was one person guarding it.

Fukutsuwa Hiraku.

"…Well, what do we have here?" The wind mage grinned as he tipped his hat.

"…Mid-boss." Touma deadpanned.

"Are you cruising for a bruising you bastard!?" Hiraku spat angrily.

"Whatever. Just move out of the way; I have business with your boss." Touma hopped off DoruGreymon and stood next to his partner. Lilymon did the same and landed next to her partner, although it was clearly a reluctant action. MetalEtemon made himself known as well, seeing that his associates had already done so.

The two sides were staring each other down.

But…

"…Hey, Kami-yan, just how long was my digimon riding with you?" Aogami turned with a frown.

"Treat your digimon better and they won't try to hide from you!" Touma shot back.

"Hey! Your focus is on me asshole; don't go yelling at your friends!" Hiraku shouted.

"Shut it, mid-boss."

"ARGH!" The wind mage growled angrily. "…Fine, spit insults all you want; you're not getting past me, understand?" At his word, a trio of digimon spawned around him. His normal Okuwamon was there, but it appeared his two other digimon had digivolved.

To his left stood Parrotmon, a large green bird digimon greatly resembling a parrot, as his name suggested. To his right stood Karatenmon, who likely digivolved from Saberdramon, and was a purple humanoid bird with black wings that carried two swords in its bird-claw hands with little issue.

It was a trio of ultimate level digimon.

"You know… we still have the advantage even if teams are even, nya." Tsuchimikado commented.

"Doesn't matter; guarding the way below was the job I was given, so that's what I intend to do. You could come running at me with an army of mega-level digimon and I still wouldn't budge." Hiraku replied. "I'm here to stand guard until the very end, no matter who challenges me… if you want a meeting with the boss, then you have to get through me… understand?"

"…Are you that loyal to him?" Touma frowned.

"Do you really have to ask that?" Hiraku crossed his arms. "So, are we doing this? Or are you going to run?"

"…Fine, have it your way. This is the last time I'm fighting you, Fukutsuwa-san." Touma nodded.

"That's what I was going to see you to… heh!" Hiraku smirked. "Alright, let's do this! Okuwamon! Parrotmon! Karatenmon! Let's mess them up!"

And so all three of the wind mage's digimon charged forward. Parrotmon moved toward MetalEtemon, Karatenmon approached Lilymon, and Okuwamon dashed toward his old foe, DoruGreymon.

Okuwamon slammed right into DoruGreymon's torso, clamping down with its pincers on contact, but at the same time the beast digimon used his horn it stab into the insect digimon's side, forcing a release of the hold to avoid being diced apart. Okuwamon took to the air with DoruGreymon gave chase, his new form granting him the capability of flight. Okuwamon held the advantage in a mid-air dogfight however, being the faster of the two, capable of avoiding DoruGreymon's projectiles with relative ease.

However, Okuwamon lacked a ranged attack, so their duel would have to be settled with close range combat.

On MetalEtemon's side, Parrotmon proved to be quite the nuisance. Parrotmon was constantly airborne but would occasionally fly close to unleash shockwaves with its **Sonic Destroyer** technique, and those were the few chances to strike. After one of these passings, the bird digimon decided it wanted to play dirty, and unleashed its other technique, **Mjollnir Lightning** , which unleashed a blast of electricity from Parrotmon's forehead to strike the metal digimon.

However, the level difference was clear; Parrotmon was an ultimate and MetalEtemon was a mega. The metallic monkey took each blow with relative ease; the only advantages Parrotmon held was its flight and high mobility.

"You want to fight like that? Fine! Let me show you some real lightning you birdbrain! **Dark Spirits Deluxe!"** MetalEtemon began to sing, which caused large bolts of electricity that began to rain from the sky. Parrotmon was able to dodge the bolts due to the attack being rather obviously telegraphed, but even just one hit would prove to end the bird digimon's run. It was a forced uphill battle of attrition for Parrotmon if it wanted to pull a victory out from under its hat.

Lilymon was having trouble with her opponent however. As one would expect, Karatenmon was rather quick in the air, able to dance around Lilymon with relative ease. The plant digimon was able to use **Vicious Vine** to spawn spiked vines from her hands to attempt to restrain the black bird, but Karatenmon sliced them away with relative ease with its **Harmony Swords** technique, being able to read and predict each assault. Lilymon had access to Flower Cannon for a ranged attack, but without a plan, the assault would be easily avoided and countered with Karatenmon's own **Feather Flare** technique.

It was simple: Karatenmon was the better fighter than Lilymon. Without some kind of outside support, overcoming her opponent was out of the question.

"Damn… this is actually looking even…" Touma spoke with a frown.

"Your plant waifu is slowing us down Aogami, nya." Tsuchimikado smirked.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU SON OF A BITCH!" The blue haired idiot shouted. "S-she's just a slow starter, that's all!"

"You can make excuses all you want, but- !?" Tsuchimikado looked up as his face turned serious. Upon looking up, it became clear why the sudden change took place.

Hiraku had taken to the air amidst all the fighting, and was flying down towards the trio. A whirlwind enveloped his right arm as he charged down. Touma jumped back to avoid the incoming attack, which tore through the floor with relative ease.

"While the digimon are all playing, I'll tear you apart personally!" Hiraku thrust his hand outward, unleashing a powerful blast of wind. Despite its strength however, Imagine Breaker proved just as effective as before at dispatching it. In response, Hiraku unleashed another, which was similarly negated, but this ended up being a front as the wind mage rushed forward right after and began throwing fists.

In a fistfight, Touma had trouble keeping up with Hiraku. The wind mage was much more skilled in hand-to-hand combat than his appearance would lead one to believe and as a result, Touma was forced against a wall trying to avoid his assault.

"That right hand of yours sure is a pain, but it doesn't matter so much in an actual brawl, does it- pbfh!?" Hiraku cried out when a fist came careening towards his face with a heavy impact that left the wind magician reeling.

"Hey there you piece of shit; the only one who punches Kami-yan is us!" Aogami shouted, pulling back his arm. "…And Fukiyose, but we really couldn't stop her even if we tried, you know."

"You son of a- D'OW!?" Hiraku cried out again when a bright flash of light slammed into his side. The impact was hard enough to send the wind mage rolling onto his side. When he reached for whatever hit him, all he found was an orange origami figure. "The… hell…!?"

"…Tsuchimikado, should I ask how you got paper for your origami here in EDEN?" Touma blinked.

"Probably not, nya." Tsuchimikado grinned. "Kind of hard to advise our pals with this shit head causing us problems… think you can have your DoruGreymon do something to tip the scales in our favor, nya?"

"I can try, just keep him busy!" Touma turned his attention to the battle unfolding as the other two members of the Delta Force kept Hiraku at bay. The clash of digimon had remained mostly unchanged; the only noticeable difference Touma could find was that Okuwamon was now behind DoruGreymon, chasing him down with its pincers.

Touma glanced over toward MetalEtemon and his fight with Parrotmon. Bolts of electricity continued to rain as Parrotmon flew; it was like a massive thunderstorm.

Here, the unlucky Kamijou had an idea.

"DoruGreymon!" he called out. "Lead Okuwamon over into MetalEtemon's attack!"

He knew calling out the command would likely inform Okuwamon to his plan as well, but it was a dicey situation. He would either give chase in an attempt to support Parrotmon and prevent the flying beast digimon from interfering, or back off and avoid risking the lightning, but abandon Parrotmon entirely.

Which route the insect digimon chose was discovered when DoruGreymon took a hard turn right into the storm of lightning; Okuwamon continued its pursuit. The flying beast digimon persisted through the storm, narrowly dodging a bolt or two in the process.

However, Okuwamon kept up, and was closing in rather quickly. The moment it could, the insect digimon clamped down on a solid part of DoruGreymon's tail, causing him to howl in pain. However, not one to simply let that be the end of it, DoruGreymon spin around in the air, swinging Okuwamon around…

…Right into one of MetalEtemon's bolts of electricity. Okuwamon roared out in pain, releasing DoruGreymon in shock, before dropping out of the sky and landing with a rather loud crash. It wasn't clear if the appearing bolt of lightning was intentionally called down by the metal monkey or just a coincidence due to the random nature of the attack.

Either way, it didn't matter; the next act was clear. Parrotmon continued its dance of avoiding lightning and firing back its own, though the damage was minimal. As long as the bird digimon avoided being hurt itself, its victory was inevitable.

It didn't take into account, however, that someone other than MetalEtemon could strike. DoruGreymon hovered over the green parrot digimon for a moment before slamming the full force of his body onto Parrotmon. The impact was hard enough to send the green bird crashing into the ground. Not long after, the bolts of lightning halted.

Parrotmon tried to push itself up, only to find one wing being stomped on by a particular metallic digimon.

"You've been giving me an awful lot of trouble, bird brain…" MetalEtemon grinned wide as he popped his knuckles.

A pummeling began without delay. Touma smiled, satisfied with the result; with Okuwamon injured and Parrotmon being beaten to a pulp, that opened up an opportunity for someone to assist Lilymon with the opponent she was struggling with.

Touma turned his attention toward Hiraku, and it was a good thing he did; the wind mage was soaring right at him.

"You won't get away from me!" Hiraku shouted. His right fist was enveloped in a mass of rampaging air as he flew, the unlucky Kamijou just barely dodging the attack with some quick footing.

"Come on… give it a rest you bastard!" Touma cursed. "Listen, I know he's your boss and you're loyal, but there is some dark stuff lurking around him that you don't know about!"

"Shove it; I am not buying what you're selling!" Hiraku thrust his right arm forward, unleashing a torrent of wind. Imagine Breaker easily dealt with it, but the wind mage took a sharp left, curving around the area to strike from Touma's flank, both arms out stretched and ready to grab ahold.

Tsuchimikado suddenly came from behind and tackled Touma to the ground just as Hiraku's charge would cause the two to meet, the wind mage grabbing at just air at the very last second.

"I've got you-" Hiraku spoke prematurely, thinking that his plan had worked, but he didn't suddenly pause because of his failure.

He paused because a beam of light suddenly tore through him from behind. If his grab had been successful, both he and Touma would have been run through.

"Fukutsuwa-san…!?" Touma called out as Hiraku began to fall due to the blow, the beam vanishing and leaving a hole in his torso. It was still just his digital avatar, so no actual harm was done to his physical body, but the attack must have been immensely painful, as the wind mage couldn't even speak nor react as he suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

The attack was been noticed by everyone, even the fighting digimon; they turned when they saw the attack land. Hiraku's own digimon, even those injured, froze in place upon seeing their partner fall.

"Fukutsuwa-san!" Touma got up and raced over to Hiraku's side. He rolled the wind mage onto his back; his avatar hadn't been deleted and groaned in pain upon the sudden movement. It wasn't known how long he would last in his digital form, or if he would last at all for that matter.

Then Touma saw it; a slight movement over by the access point. Someone had attacked and used Hiraku as bait in an attempt to obliterate Touma's avatar. His reaction was immediate; he stood up and began running toward the pathway to the final floor.

"H-hey Kami-yan, where are you going!?" Aogami called out.

"I'm chasing after the bastard to pulled this stunt! Take care of Fukutsuwa-san!" Touma shouted back. DoruGreymon, with me!"

At his command, DoruGreymon nodded and returned to his partner, taking refuge inside the unlucky Kamijou's digivice. Hiraku's own digimon gave no resistance, allowing Touma passage while they went over to their own master's side, recognizing something terrible had happened.

It didn't take long for Touma to reach the access point and descend into the final floor of the server. It looked as unremarkable as the rest, although it had a lot of space to it, and it was flooded with the remaining members of Machina Revolution.

And a certain leader walking toward the back of the mass of magi with his back turned.

"Samson! Stop right there you bastard!" Touma demanded, running into the group of magi without a second though.

Samson paused and turned with a surprised expression.

"…I knew that you would follow me after that, but I had no idea that you'd make it here this fast…" The cabal boss blinked. It was notable that all of his previously sustained damage was completely healed; even his severed arms returned just like before.

Touma stared him down with a glare.

"…I knew it; you're the one who attacked…!" Touma spat. "You set him of all people up as some kind of sacrifice just to kill me!?" Several murmurs began to spread as Touma called out; they had not been informed of what had transpired.

"Don't over dramatize it… it's just your avatars in EDEN after all." Samson replied. "Even if the blow was fatal, the most it would do would destroy your account; nothing more, nothing less. I'm sure even Hiraku understands what I had intended; I would never purposefully harm him unless it was a necessary sacrifice to make."

"Bullshit; you think it doesn't matter!? You attacked him in some kind of misguided thought that he'd capture me, so we'd both go down!" Touma shouted. "And then you just leave him to the wolves!? If a betrayal like that is fine with you, then you're more twisted than I thought…!"

Samson began to frown.

"…You are always the ever prevalent thorn in my side… why?" The cabal boss shook his head. "I understand hesitation toward sacrificial methods; that I do… but do you not truly know of what I intend to bring about?"

"At first, you and your group were just a pain in my side that I'd like to avoid…" Touma began. "But after what came spilling out of your mouth… after hearing how twisted you really are when it comes to the lives of others… there is no way I can let you make this paradise of yours."

Samson now began to scowl.

"…Why would you oppose it?" He asked. "I'm making a perfect world… perfect for everyone… is that not for the greater good?"

"Because it doesn't matter what your intentions are with the methods you're using you bastard!" Touma fired back. "You're building this so called paradise on top of the corpses of innocent people and shoving it down people's throats whether they want it or not! The only thing you're going to make is an alternate version of hell!"

"And who gives a damn what you think, you insignificant little brat!?" Samson finally snapped, shouting loudly at the unlucky Kamijou. "You know nothing of what I've endured! What I have seen! I have bore witness to this land that these digital creatures call the Digital World!"

"You… what?" Touma blinked, unsure how to react.

"These Digimon do indeed have a home, far removed from this, only loosely connected through this digital network called EDEN, and these two eyes of mine have seen it!" Samson continued. "Lush forests plentiful with food, seemingly endless and crystal clear streams of water, and friendly inhabitants outside of the natural predators of nature… yes; I've seen it. I've been there; spoken with them, shared meals with them! Only to have it all torn apart by human hands! I have seen and experienced firsthand what paradise truly is… only to have the illusion of it torn away from me! These monsters known as Eaters come from the Digital World… but their existence as of now is due to human intervention; whether intentional or not, humanity corrupted my paradise! I could only see it all rot around me as I pressed on, desperate to find some place not affected, but to no avail… and it was spreading… I saw paradise and hell side by side, corrupting and tearing what I had loved apart before I was thrust out…!"

Touma remained frozen, not sure what to say. Samson appeared to calm down, abet only a small amount, just enough for him to collect himself.

"…I have seen paradise… I know it can exist; I saw it once. If it can exist, then it can be made… it doesn't have to be exclusive to one world! I can make it here, I'm sure of it!" He spoke again. "That is what I wish to make… a perfect paradise… and I don't give a damn as to who or what I have to sacrifice or kill to make it happen. Even if the world sees me as a vile villain, in the end when they see what the power of my methods can bring… I'll be hailed as a Hero! The hero who created a perfect world for all of mankind!"

The room was silent, not a soul dared to speak. It remained that way for quite some time in fact, unable to fathom a reaction to the cabal bosses' words.

…Eventually though, someone did speak.

"…Samson, is that really what you think? What you really want?" Touma asked.

"Yes; undoubtedly, you can see now why I strive so hard? Why I am willing to sacrifice so much… for a dream. An honest dream for everyone… may we please lay these senseless hostilities to rest? Just because I am willing to take lives does not mean I take pleasure in it… besides; someone of your notoriety could be a valuable asset to us!" Samson replied with something similar to a smile.

However…

"…If that's the case, then I have even more of a reason to stand against you." Touma replied.

"…Pardon?" The cabal boss shook his head. "Did… something not quite make it through? Perhaps there is some kind of misunderstanding here…"

"No; I heard you loud and clear… you want to make a paradise, I don't misunderstand that, and you think it'll be the best for everyone. At heart, I do believe that despite your twisted methodology you do believe that… but…" Touma shook his head. "…Your idea for paradise is yours… and yours alone."

"Excuse me?" Samson scowled again.

"You think that what you had in mind was universally the idea of a utopia?" Touma replied. "I have an idea of what it'd be like too… a modest one, sure, but still one… but I can't say it'd be right for everyone. Your ideal? I don't think I could enjoy it anywhere near as much as you do… and I doubt everyone else could either."

"What are you talking about? Trying to seed doubt, are you?" Samson glared.

"Did you ever ask them? Did you ever once speak to them and ask what their paradise was? Or did you just assume that your dream was so perfect that it'd be the only one they could possibly wish for?" Touma questioned.

A few murmurs could be heard through the crowd around the two.

"…I mean… that does sound nice but… I wanted something a little more…"

"We never really talked about this stuff a whole lot before… we were just about improving the world in our own way when I joined up. When he started talking about paradise I thought it'd be a great thing to strive for since it aligned with our goals, but…"

"I… I honestly hoped that I could bring my brother back… that's all I'd need to make my world a paradise, you know…"

"Was he… always like this? I don't remember him being like that…"

Similar quotes could be heard all around. Each one indeed wanted some form of paradise, or at least to improve the world… but on what exactly paradise varied widely. Some ideas were similar, yes, but some were drastically different.

If the voices were to be believed, the goal of Machina Revolution before was simply to improve the world. It was according to what they thought and wanted, but the intention was positive; it's very likely that even their name wasn't what it originally was.

Samson's vision was a revolution; a war against the status quo, when most of the members just wanted to improve the standard of living for either themselves or others… but that idea appeared to have been twisted… much like Samson himself.

The voices began to grow louder and more confrontational, violent and rowdy. They wanted answers, but they were to receive none.

"ENOUGH!" The cabal boss suddenly shouted. "Do not let this boy's words corrupt your way of thinking! It will be a paradise for everyone; not just one person, I swear this onto you!"

"Are you honestly so blind… that you can't see what them problem is? Can you not see that you're just imposing your vision on other people!?" Touma shouted.

Samson's eyes lit up with fury. In an instant, he raised his hand and erased it, turning it into a large blade of energy, easily able to cut the floor in half with its length, and aimed to bring it down on top of the unlucky Kamijou.

However, a blast of wind flew past Touma, slamming into the cabal bosses' body hard enough to cause him to sputter and fly backward, his attack fading with his concentration broken.

Touma felt a presence next to him, and turned to see a familiar male around his age… with a Japanese general-styled hat.

"What the hell… what the fucking hell happened to you Samson!?" Hiraku spat, seemingly doing his best to ignore the gaping hole in his chest. "I heard everything… every last detail! So what the hell is going on!?"

"Fukutsuwa-san…!" Touma called out.

"Nya… he's a bit of a trooper, huh?" Tsuchimikado joked from behind the unlucky Kamijou with the third member of the Delta Force not far behind.

"This is fun… it's like I'm a side character in an action anime or something!" Aogami commented.

"Hiraku… please, you of all people should understand-" Samson pushed himself up, despite his missing arm, but the wind mage only shouted louder over him.

"I should have said something… god damn it, I should have fucking said something! Letting things get this bad… I should have noticed it sooner…!" Hiraku roared. "I overlooked it because we would get into battles against other cabals all the damn time; because we had to defend ourselves or die trying… but I should have fucking said something when we started targeting people… no; when we first started operating in this god damn place!"

Hiraku looked ready for a fight, and apparently so did his partner as Okuwamon spawned behind him in the air.

Samson frowned.

"…Very well, if that is how it has to be…!" The cabal bosses' Titamon appeared once again and charged forward, swinging its blade down to attempt to slice the two in half, but miraculously, Okuwamon managed to catch it and hold the blade at bay in hits pincers, despite the gap in power between an Ultimate and a Mega.

Moreover… Okuwamon appeared to be glowing.

"I joined this… I joined this family to make things better! For my god damn sister! And you go and twist it around under my feet!? Do you really think that I would just stand here and take that!?" Hiraku shouted. "No more… no more! No more senseless killing! No more sacrifices and swallowing my pride! NO MORE OF THIS GOD DAMN QUEST FOR PARADISE!"

Then, it happened: Okuwamon began to change. It grew, the plating on its body began to darken until it was jet black. Its clamp like hands changed to form full-fledged claws and hands that rested in-between the digimon's legs, each of its six limbs gaining blades close to their joints. It finally had a set of red eyes, its head taking on an aerodynamic design with black markings on its sides, its pincers thickened and lengthened out, and the transformation ended with its wings doubled in length and gaining a red tint.

When it was finished, it easily matched Titamon in size. Hiraku's reaction was simple.

"…Take him down, GranKuwagamon!" He shouted with a large smirk.

Still fresh from his transformation, GranKuwagamon took the large Titamon by surprise and abruptly charged forward, slamming the back of the green digimon's blade against its own face and sending it back.

Titamon howled and began to run forward before suddenly slipping and falling onto its back.

"...What the hell…?" Hiraku blinked, clearly surprised by the sudden downturn of luck of the green titan. Not long after, he felt a metallic hand suddenly grab his shoulder.

"Now, is this a private revenge plot? Or can anybody join?" Tsuchimikado's MetalEtemon spun a used banana peel around on one finger. A closer inspection of the ground around Titamon's feet revealed that a similar one rested near the green giant's feet. Aogami's Lilymon had spawned in too, along with Touma's DoruGreymon.

"Tch… fine. My mercy has reach its end… ChaosGallantmon! Get out here!" Samson shouted, and at his word another Mega Level digimon appeared behind the cabal boss.

It appeared to be a tall humanoid in grey armor, with its shoulders and joints also adorned with blue armor plating. It held a grey shield with several markings around it's circular design with its left hand, and wielded a long grey and blue lance with its right. It wore a long blue cape on its back, and its draconic helm had one long grey tassel that whipped around as it formed into existence.

"Damn… that figures; of course he'd have two at least…!" Touma cursed.

"Still, it's two mega levels against two mega levels and two ultimates. We got the advantage, nya." Tsuchimikado commented.

"Oh… do you now?" Samson fired back. "You forget; you do not simply face one single man, but an entire cabal! A devoted cabal dedicated to our goal of paradise! Everyone! Unleash your power and attack them at once!"

Those in the crowd of magi began to speak amongst themselves. This appeared to irritate the cabal boss as he didn't receive an immediate response.

"Did I stutter!? These heathens stand against us and our very dreams and desires! Kill them!" He ordered again.

"But what about Hiraku-"

"He is a bloody traitor unfit to hold our name, let alone continue his resistance! Those who do not side with us are our enemy and must be purged! Slay every last one of them!" Samson demanded again. His ChaosGallantmon went to Titamon's side as it rose back up to its feet.

The various magi exchanged looks before they decided; they prepared their spells and summoned their digimon, unleashing their full might…

…By attacking the cabal boss and his two digimon, causing all three to stagger due to the surprise assault.

"What…!? What is this!?" Samson roared, shocked by his allies' betrayal.

"Looks like you didn't turn as many of them into blind zealots as you thought, huh?" Touma commented.

"You probably managed to tag a few, but it seems that you didn't get anywhere near enough to be THAT loyal to you, nya." Tsuchimikado commented. "…This is my mission, straight from Necessarius; I'm either going to take you into custody, or you're going to die here. And I think it's safe to say that you have no room to negotiate, right?"

Samson's back was pushed against the wall; his entire cabal had turned on him, and the greatest enemies to his goals stood right in front of him. If he resisted, there would be only one way things would go.

However…

"I refuse!" He shouted loud, holding his stump of an arm in the air… but suddenly, it began to reappear. Sections of the digital floor began to vanish, turning into small lights that flew up and connected to his stub, gradually forming a brand new arm. Even the clothes he had were repaired; it was as if he had never sacrificed it for his magic at all. Even his wounds he incurred due to the previous assault where healed in their entirety.

"So that's how he fixed himself!?" Touma stated in shock.

"I refuse your orders, Necessarius dog! Mark my words; I'll be walking out of here with my head held high, for my cause is just! Titamon! ChaosGallantmon! Kill every last one of them!" Samson ordered

Titamon roared as he swung its blade into the crowds of magi with ChaosGallantmon unleashing waves of energy from its lance into them as well. True pandemonium erupted as the cabal boss unleashed his power against his own subordinates.

"Figures… the bastard talks about sacrifice all day and night, yet he just rebuilds his body to ignore the requirements of his own magic spells… this guy is the definition of a hypocrite…!" Touma stated.

"What's the game plan, Kami-yan? We're at the final boss, you know." Aogami stated.

"…Think you and Tsuchimikado can take command of DoruGreymon for a bit?" Touma asked. "I have an asshole to punch in the face."

He glanced at his partner, who simply nodded in agreement. DoruGreymon appeared to understand fully what Touma was thinking.

But the unlucky Kamijou received an unlikely vote of support.

"Yeah; same here." Hiraku added. "GranKuwagamon is a big guy who likes to throw his weight around, but if you remember, I can't give commands properly while giving someone a pounding. Think you guys can call the shots for him?"

"Fukutsuwa-san, are you sure you should even be moving around like that, let alone fighting…!?" Touma asked.

"It's just a flesh wound, baby. Little ol' Hiraku has taken hits way worse than this." The wind mage replied, adjusting his hat. "Besides; it's just my avatar. It can take a little bit of a beating and I'll be fine… but as you've probably noticed, Samson is a bit of a different story."

Hiraku did have a point, and one made very clear by the two. Despite a hole in his chest, Hiraku didn't bleed or react outside of pain, while each time Samson sacrificed his limbs his body bled.

Hiraku lacked a true physical body on EDEN, yet Samson somehow got his hands on one, with all the strengths and weaknesses that came with it.

He might be able to regenerate his body by converting his surroundings, but such an ability would be worthless if he were to be rendered unconscious.

"…Alright; let's do it then." Touma nodded.

"Just be careful to not take a nasty hit again; your avatar is just barely holding together. Another piercing hit like that and it'll burst like a bubble, nya." Tsuchimikado warned.

"Eh; risk is worth it. Guessing we have a deal?" Hiraku asked.

"Sure; I'll make your new GranKuwagamon nice and useful… but at the end of the day, Samson comes with me if he's alive; understand?" Tsuchimikado stated.

"Fine by me. Just make sure to keep those two mega levels on ice so we don't suddenly get squashed." Hiraku replied with a grin. "So, Imagine Breaker… we ready?"

"Whenever you are." Touma agreed.

At that moment, all four of their respective digimon joined the fray. Titamon and ChaosGallantmon, who were enjoying a relatively unopposed fight as they clashed with magicians and champion level digimon, with only a few ultimate levels to give them trouble, suddenly had two other megas slamming into them with an additional two ultimates supporting them.

And during this pandemonium, Touma and Hiraku cut around the fighting and ran straight toward the rampaging cabal boss.

"The traitor and the insurgent… wonderful it is for you to bring yourselves to me directly…!" Samson stated.

"Shut your face! I'm putting an end to this right now!" Hiraku suddenly shot ahead, being propelled by his wind magic. The wind mage threw a fist the moment he got in range, but Samson sidestepped the attack with relative ease. Hiraku tried to attack several times, but each time the cabal boss was able to either avoid or block the incoming blows.

"Have you forgotten who taught you how to use magic…? I've bore witness to your spells and your fighting style since we crossed paths…! You cannot defeat me by relying on old tricks you pathetic sod!" Samson stated.

"Yeah? Well you knock what!? Eat this!" Hiraku enveloped his right arm in a rampaging whirlwind and attacked again. However, this attack too failed to connect with Samson easily avoiding the blow.

However, it was a set up. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another person approaching him from the side. Before he could properly turn and react to the individual, he was met with a fist colliding with the side of his face as Kamijou Touma punched him in the side of the head.

This blow left Samson stunned as he staggered back, but the attack on his person wasn't over. Hiraku suddenly turned after Touma's punch connected and slammed his own fist into the cabal boss' stomach. The blow caused Samson to double over into the prime position for an uppercut straight into his chin. Making use of his wind control, he then forcefully spun himself up off the ground and kicked Samson across the face, sending him rolling across the floor, nearly off the edge.

"Damn… it…!" Samson groaned as he forced himself back up. The consecutive blows really did throw him for a loop. "DAMN… IIIIIIITTTTTT!" He shot up, holding his left arm up into the air, watching it dissolve into a large blade of energy before swinging it back down in an attempt to annihilate his foes. However, it vanished without a trace at the sound of breaking glass, only to show Touma holding up his right hand to meet where the attack once was.

"It's over," Hiraku stated. "Give it a rest!"

"Never…! I'm… far from finished!" The cabal boss struggled to stand. "I'll… make it…! I'll make my paradise-"

"That doesn't matter anymore; don't you get it!?" Touma shouted. "You're attacking innocent people… and for what? Some kind of utopia where all suffering ends? What's the damn point if you end up killing everyone just to make it!? Are you really that self-absorbed that you think that just because you make it that everyone will magically worship you!? That you can get away with shoving a world nobody else wants down their throats!? There's no use for a paradise if there's no one able to enjoy it you selfish bastard!"

Samson gave his reply in that of a loud scream. He held up his remaining arm and began sacrificing his fingers; each one firing of a blast toward the unlucky Kamijou, but unfortunately for him, Touma was more than capable to block each one with Imagine Breaker, rendering his attack moot. It appeared that he was beginning to succumb to the pain as he dropped his fingerless hand and panted loudly.

He then began to back up towards the edge of the floor. Unlike their original hide out, there were no walls to stop someone from falling off and plunging themselves in the depths of EDEN.

Samson, if Tsuchimikado's information was to be accurate, was a sufferer of EDEN syndrome, his only form of existence being in EDEN. The act he looked ready to perform was effectively suicide.

"W-wait! Stop you idiot!" Touma shouted.

"What the hell…!? What happened to you!? What's this!? You lose and you threaten to kill yourself!?" Hiraku shouted.

"I would… rather that…!" Samson struggled to speak, but then abruptly shouted. "I would rather die than give up on my perfect paradise to insignificant dogs like you!"

The floor began to dissolve, and Samson's body began to regenerate as it had before. In addition, Titamon and ChaosGallantmon abruptly withdrew from the fight and landed next to the cabal boss.

However, that proved to be his undoing. The floor, weakening due to Samson absorbing it to repair himself, gave way under the two large digimon's weight. The ground below his feet shattered like glass, sending the cabal boss plummeting towards nothingness below.

He didn't yell, nor did he scream. He didn't make a sound and simply held his face of defiance as he plunged into the abyss.

"Did… did he… mean to do that…?" Touma asked.

"I have… no idea." Hiraku breathed out. "Sometimes… people who feel like they are about to be killed do end their own lives to deny their enemies the pleasure… but…"

"…Was he always like this?" Touma questioned. Hiraku shook his head slowly.

"Not a chance in hell… something happened when we came here… when he came here… we thought it would work out or maybe he was just excited, but…" The wind mage continued to shake his head back and forth as he spoke. "…All this talk of paradise didn't start until EDEN…"

"I… see…" Was all Touma close say as he continued to look down. Even the mega digimon Samson had by his side were gone; no trace was left.

"…Think he can survive that fall? If he even manages to land anywhere?" Hiraku asked.

"Hard to say… I fell off in Kowloon once and landed on a lower floor alive… though in a lot of pain." Touma answered. "Couldn't he just make a rift and teleport out?"

"Nah; not that easy. Requires coordinates as well as a bunch of information and pre-prep; the only place he could teleport to right now would be right up here, where everyone is ready to get a piece of him; can't just make it on the fly." The wind mage replied as he adjusted his hat. "It's a bunch of technical stuff; mixing science and magic like this is hard work."

"And highly illegal." Tsuchimikado chimed in as he approached the two from behind. By this point, digimon were returning to their respective partners as they tended to those hurt in the battle. "Was is any of you or him who developed that spell?"

"Him, though he taught many of us." Hiraku stated. "I can explain the mechanics and theory if you need me to."

"No thanks… that will be more of a thing learned once the investigation starts… you and your boys and girls are in an awful lot of trouble." Tsuchimikado replied.

"…Doesn't matter. I can't speak for everyone, but I'll cooperate." Hiraku stated as he slipped his hands into his pockets.

"You sure? I can't guarantee any special treatment, even if you come along quietly." The blond spy replied.

"Can you really say we deserve any special treatment after everything that's happened?" Hiraku asked.

"…Ah, so you really do understand the situation you're in then?" Tsuchimikado crossed his arms.

"More or less. There are probably a few sympathizers in our ranks, but other than that… I think I can bring them around. A lot of them probably understand what we were doing was bad… some just swallowed the bitter pill easier than the others." Hiraku stated. "…Plus, there is an off chance Samson survives that fall of his… if you want to jump around and catch him, there's only one group of folks you can learn it from."

"Want him dealt with that badly?" Tsuchimikado asked.

"I want to find out what made him turn." The wind mage replied. "Like I was telling the Imagine Breaker, he wasn't always like this… people don't just change like that, and I think your little investigation might be able to reveal what the hell happened."

"I have a name you know; it's Kamijou Touma." Touma sighed.

"Oh I know; it's just that the name "Imagine Breaker" sounds super cool, doesn't it?" Hiraku grinned. "But if you don't like it… well, Kamijou will do, right? I'm not too high up with honorifics and stuff; I might be Japanese but a spent a good amount of growing up across the seas if you catch my drift."

"Nya, we all call him Kami-yan." Aogami suddenly spoke up. "It's an old nickname that just stuck with him back in school."

"…Kami-yan?" Hiraku commented. "…I like it! I really like it! Kami-yan it is!"

"Aogami, what the hell did you just do!?" Touma demanded.

"Recruiting." The blue haired idiot replied.

"Recruiting!?" Touma shouted.

"The Delta Force is expanding, huh? Though we can't really call ourselves that if we have four people, nya." Tsuchimikado commented.

"It's not that big of a deal if he's not part of the class! Delta only matters there for numbering purposes… even if we become one thousand strong, each one of us can still be the Delta Force in our hearts!" Aogami stated.

"No we can't! It completely betrays the point of being called the "Delta force!" Stop talking about stupid stuff like that!" Touma shouted.

"First, we need to test him, right?" The blond spy commented.

"That's right! Japanese-general-san, we have a question for you!" Aogami stated.

"My name is Fukutsuwa Hiraku! And go ahead!" Hiraku replied loudly, crossing his arms in a proud fashion as if he were saying, "Do your worst!"

"Maids or Bunny girls?" Tsuchimikado asked.

"Not that one!" Touma cried out.

"…Neither." The wind mage replied. "…Because secretary girls are king!"

Aogami and Tsuchimikado exchanged glances for a moment.

"…He's perfect, nya." Both the blond and blue idiots spoke unison.

"No he's not!" Touma fired back.

"I think you got out voted, Kami-yan!" Hiraku grinned like a cheeky idiot.

"…God damn it he actually is perfect… such misfortune…" Touma sighed. It was quiet for a moment before someone else spoke up again.

"…Hey, listen," Hiraku began. "…Thanks for exposing Samson for who he was. Regardless of who he used to be, it was something that needed to be done. Without you getting under his skin and forcing the dark side out of him, I'm not sure if he would have shown us all otherwise… so thank you."

"It's no problem," Touma replied. "I was here just because I wanted to be; Samson pissed me off and that's about it."

"Sometimes that's all it takes you know." Hiraku commented. "Now, can we get this show on the road? The sooner your Necessarius boys start looking into things, the sooner we can actually get this over with."

"Fair enough. I just need to make a call." Tsuchimikado replied with a nod.

It took a half hour before agents of Necessarius arrived. Stiyl Magnus led them himself, bringing a group of about ten magi into the area to assist with the investigation. True to his word, Hiraku did his best to convince his comrades to work together with Stiyl and his men. He was mostly successful with only a few pockets of resistance, but the majority ruled in this case.

With Machina Revolution finally in Necessarius custody and the fate of Samson Ainsworth unknown, there was little else keeping the Delta Force in the area. With a conformation that they could leave, the trio of idiots made for the exist with the respective digimon along with them, reaching the logout point with relative ease.

"Man, that was one hell of a work out… that Titamon was no joke." MetalEtemon stretched as they approached the exit.

"You haven't had much reason to strut your stuff since you digivolved, nya." Tsuchimikado commented. Touma hopped off of DoruGreymon as they approached, and with a little nod, the winged beast digimon returned to Touma's digivice. However, Lilymon and MetalEtemon stayed behind.

"Being a protagonist for once was kind of fun… but I think I'll be returning to my life as deceitfully unassuming side character." Aogami commented.

"…Deceitfully unassuming, huh?" Touma deadpanned.

"I'll be important to the main story someday… maybe. I don't know; kind of just depends on life and how it goes." Aogami shrugged. "Either way, it's time for me and Lilymon to be on our way before your Kami-yan disease infects her and steals away her innocence!"

"I'm surprised she has that still after having to put up with you." Touma fired back.

"Nonsense! Besides; we have a date." Aogami said with a huff.

"B-but… we had one yesterday!" Lilymon wined, clearly opposed to the blue-haired idiot's suggestion.

"We haven't experienced all of this wonderful online world together yet! Plus… I have more outfits for you to try on!" Aogami insisted, horrifying his partner.

"…Aogami, you're my friend, but if she doesn't want to do something, don't force her." Touma groaned. "Don't make me view domestic violence and have to step in, please."

"There's no violence here; she's just shy! It's one of the many things I love about her! Listen; these are all the things we've done before to prove that our love is mutual!" Aogami began to list off various perverted and otherwise risqué things the two had done since they had met and Lilymon became an ultimate.

Over the course of his explanation though, a low pitch wine could be heard coming from the plant digimon. It started off low but slowly grew in volume, becoming something akin to a shriek near the end.

"L-Lilymon, what's wrong!?" Aogami asked.

"I've had it!" Lilymon abruptly shouted. "I've had it with these dates! I've had it with all of those weird outfits! I've had it with you touching me in places! I'm done, do you hear me!? I. AM. DOOOOOOOOONE!"

Over the course of her last statement however, Lilymon began to glow, similar to Okuwamon from before, and the underwent an unusually rage-filled Digivolution.

She grew taller, only just a little bit though to put her just above the heights of the delta force trio. Her flower-bud like headdress turned black and gained a small X mark near the middle, but the rest of her outfit changed much more drastically. She wore a red over-sized jacket with a large sharp collar draped over her shoulders with her petal-like wings just underneath it, along with a white and black top that exposed her lean stomach, and finally a set of black pants with long zippers along the legs, purposefully unzipped to around mid-thigh to expose them fully.

Lilymon, in her blind rage of frustration digivolved into BanchoLilymon, a full-fledged mega level digimon.

"Well, you don't see two mega digivolutions in one day very often, do you?" Tsuchimikado commented.

"N-no kidding… looking good there… um… BanchoLilymon…" Touma replied, a little bit stunned by the plant digimon's sudden change in appearance. Surprisingly, BanchoLilymon giggled in response.

She didn't giggle when Aogami suddenly grabbed ahold of her arm.

"Holy crap… straight to mega! And an even more good looking girl to boot! Aogami-chan might finally be scoring a home run!" He cheered.

However, the mega plant digimon abruptly removed her arm form his grip.

"Don't touch me." BanchoLilymon warned.

"W-wait… is something wrong-" Aogami sputtered as BanchoLilymon abruptly picked him up by his collar.

"Listen here you perverted piece of shit…!" She started. "I have been putting up with your bullshit since we meet, and I am finished with it. Understand me? Any form of contact without my permission will get my head smashing into your face… understood?"

"…T-that sounds kind of hot, actually." Aogami admitted. Apparently, the mega plant digimon took this response as calling her bluff, and she then reeled her head back and slammed her forehead into the middle of Aogami's face, sending him straight into the ground with a loud thud.

"…You ok there, Aogami?" Touma asked.

"C-crystal…" The blue haired idiot spoke in a daze while on the ground.

"Mmm… that felt good! Been wanting to do that for so long, let me tell you!" BanchoLilymon stated as she stretched.

"…Just don't go killing him, ok?" Touma asked.

"Yeah, yeah… we are kind of stuck together unless he wants to give me away… which knowing his weird kinks, is unlikely." BanchoLilymon sighed. "Though… while I'm giving away just deserts…"

She then began to walk over to the unlucky Kamijou.

"H-hey now! I didn't do anything wrong, did I!? P-please wait-" Touma called out in fear as the mega plant digimon grabbed him by his own collar and pulled him up…

…And abruptly kissed him.

"Pfbh!?" Touma was the only sound he could make as a reaction to BanchoLilymon's forceful display of affection.

"Fwa… that felt good too… what a day…" BanchoLilymon spoke with a small hint of a blush as she set Touma back down. Touma himself however was trapped in a deep shade of red that spread across his entire face.

"W-w-w-what was that for!?" he asked, just barely able to pull his words together.

"Being a pillar of support; every single bit of sympathy you showed really is what kept me going to be honest… but it's probably time to go, so I'm going to head back now." The mega plant digimon wandered back over to her partner, stretching the whole time.

But she glanced back at the unlucky Kamijou just once and spoke with a grin.

"If you keep supporting me, there might be more than just that little kiss in it for you~"

And with that, she vanished into Aogami's digivice.

"W-why… how!? I purposefully kept her away to keep that from happening!" Aogami shouted.

"…I think she just didn't like what you were doing to her, and he was kind of just the understanding nice guy close by…" Tsuchimikado commented.

Touma however was completely lost. He simply stood with a confused look on his face and an occasional twitch to display that he was still alive.

"Although Aogami… if you had a premonition of someone suddenly coming out to make out with Kami-yan…" The blond spy commented. "…Then you joining us completed that prophecy, nya!"

Aogami's very being deflated with this revelation while Touma remained awestruck by what had transpired.

 **-Unknown Location-**

"W-why… why did… they…"

Samson spoke to no one particular as his body laid in the bottom of a random area of EDEN.

"Why did they… betray… me…?"

His body laid broken and torn from his fall. Even if he could recover, clearly the most broken thing here was his mind.

"…Why…? Didn't they… want a better world…?"

He didn't understand. He couldn't understand.

Samson Ainsworth was too far gone to understand anything anymore.

He heard a loud plop, like something dropping from a small height. He turned his head just enough to see something he could barely make out.

Something black and white, made of tentacles with a single mechanical eye near its center.

In his broken state, he accepted his fate.

"…Why…"

He closed his eyes, awaiting his doom. He couldn't move to defend himself now. His digimon must have been away; they did not come to his aid.

But…

His doom never came.

When he thought it strange that he still continued to live, he opened his eyes once more. When he did, he opened them up wide. Slowly, he smiled.

"…So… is… this why…?"

He saw that an old friend he had once created standing by his side once more.

* * *

 **Oh ho ho! Ominous!**

 **And that's chapter 12! Machina Revolution might be out of the running in terms of enemies... but Samson Ainsworth's dreams aren't so easily squashed...**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback!**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	13. Worlds Collide

**Hello, hello! Welcome to chapter thirteen! How goes these cold winter months, huh?**

 **Well... it might only be cold in some places. It definitely is here!**

 **Either way, I have another chapter for you all! But before that, let's reply to some reviews!**

 _ENDDRAGON369:_ Funny how that works, isn't it...? It's a coincidence this time though, I swear!

 _whwsms:_ Kami-Yan disease affects all girls... even those of entirely other species! NONE ARE SAFE, I SAY!

 _Animan10:_ Getting into arguing concepts combined with right and wrong can be certainly difficult... it takes a very careful hand to cover and deal with, believe me. Getting Touma and Samson's interactions to go -just- right was one of the hardest things of this whole story, especially on Samson's side. As for Rosmeon, someone else gets her in Cyber Sleuth Canon, so I had to think of something... fortunately, BanchoLilymon fit that need very nicely, and I'm sure you agree!

 _WilliamZ0:_ A super secret ending... only unlocked in this story by witnessing all 3 routes, this story being route number three! You'll see what I mean! Having the Delta Force all in one place was a lot of fun, but it can be tricky considering Aogami; he's the hardest to get involved. And yeah... Hirkau's tendency to never stay gone was leading up to his shift in position... but he is a lot of fun to develop, so I hope you like where he goes from here! Delta Force welcomes all! As for BanchoLilymon; don't get too mad, I never knew she existed either until I went deep into researching things, and I think she is relatively new. And yes... Machina Revolution might be done, but Samson himself is far from finished!

 _Stitches:_ Seems like to me that this chapter was full of surprises for you! Glad I was able to avid being predictable!

 _Mr. X:_ Oh, After it? Answer is still the same; I have no plans for anything M-Rated at this time. As said, nothing against M-Rated Content, but I doubt in my ability to write it. Multiple Digimon have different paths of digivolution, and BanchoLilymon is one of those oddball paths!

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Samson isn't finished yet, my friend... believe me. Glad your enjoying the clash of ideals here; that's what I really wanted to nail. And I'm glad that Samson's dynamic here is working out really well; A lot of work went into him. I've found that my weakest area in writing is definitely combat, so to hear you say that you enjoyed it enough to specifically write about it really does make me happy. And Hiraku switching sides! Did you think I'd have him endless come back without doing something with him!? He's not finished yet either, so I hope you enjoy him! The Delta Force parts were a lot of fun... personally, I enjoy how easily their Digimon can join in on their antics in their own ways! As for BanchoLilymon... he'll enjoy that aggressive side alright... but he'll never be able to claim her first kiss! Muhahahahaha!

 _wiliamsusanto:_ Well, it's more of a secret ending unlocked here in this story, not in the actual games. Its why I'm using Touma's side of things as an extension to the main story, not just as its own thing: it's both an Index-style story in the world of Cyber Sleuth, but also an extension of Cyber Sleuth's story. BanchoLilymon knows no fear: That was a full on lip-kiss... maybe even a little bit of tongue! Fufu! Answers to your questions will come...!

 _Guest (1):_ More like... thieving... flower? Plant? Digital Plant Monster?

 _Sergio644:_ As said... Kami-yan disease cannot be stopped...!

 **With that done... Let's dig in! Enjoy!**

* * *

Machina Revolution's goals of creating a paradise fell apart practically overnight.

Samson Ainsworth was officially missing, and the members under the command of Fukutsuwa Hiraku surrendered fully to the magic side for investigation, cooperating fully with Necessarius to atone for their crimes. Although some were opposed to the move, in the absence of a true leader, the majority quickly drowned out such complaints.

It truly seemed like the nightmare was finally over. All Kamijou Touma had to worry about in regards to EDEN would be his classwork.

…But life has a funny way of rejecting people's ideas.

The acting director of Kamishiro, Kishibe Rie, had gone missing. Erika and Keisuke's ploy to corner her had been a complete success, although oddly rather than try to escape, Rie had retreated to the rooftop of the Metropolitan Building. There, she appeared to be incredibly infuriated and possibly even frightened by something, but appeared to calm down as the two Hudie hackers and their police escort arrived on the scene… as if she was glad something specific was over and done with.

From there, Kishibe Rie ended up jumping off the rooftop of her own accord. Despite the apparent suicide, no body was found. There wasn't a speck of anything that could be reasonably considered related to her around the building, or the blocks surrounding the structure for that matter. It could only be reasoned out that she had escaped, somehow surviving the fall.

Despite this, Kamishiro went quiet. Rie appeared to not return to run the company, as the daughter of the family normally in charge of the company, Kamishiro Yuuko, taking charge to some degree, as there was a sudden lack of any upper management figure to do so.

However, that was just the tip of the iceberg… because just a few days later, the entirety of Tokyo was plunged into a large-scale digital shift.

In an event that could only be described as the sky above Tokyo opening wide open to reveal another world, Digimon rained from the heavens all across the entire city. The entire space had been partially digitized, and the situation got so out of hand that the Japanese military had to be called to the scene just to maintain order.

Not to mention, reports of a red dragon digimon terrorizing the area during the night in the district of Odaiba. To say that the military forces were severely lacking in their ability to deal with the beast was an understatement.

The only way to restore order in Tokyo would be to end the digital shift plaguing it, but unlike previous smaller scale incidents, this one showed no signs of stopping. Digimon roamed the streets, and there were even sightings of Eaters wandering around. If anything, the affected radius appeared to be expanding at a rather fast rate.

But as one would ask… just how far had the digital shift spread?

Well… here's something to think about then then… are you aware of just how close Academy City is to the capital city of Tokyo…?

 **-Kamijou Touma's Dorm Room-**

"So… this is anime…" Calumon spoke as he sat at the table, right next to his partner, Index.

"Mhmm! This one is one of my favorites!" Index cheerfully spoke.

"Whoa…! So many colors… so much action!" Calumon's eyes practically filled with stars.

"…Index; are your corrupting your digimon again?" Touma called out from the kitchen.

"…Define corrupting." The silver-haired nun commented.

"She is just showing me more of this wonderful thing you call television!" Calumon called out. Touma stepped out carrying a pot of food, setting it down in the middle of the table.

"I'd still call that corruption…" Touma sighed. "I'll be back with plates and rice."

"H-hurry Touma! It's getting to the good part!" Index called out.

Just as she did though, a loud bellow came from the patio. The blinds were taken down for some cleaning, so the source was clearly visible.

Touma's DoruGreymon was flying just outside the patio in the space in-between buildings, floating in place with careful wing flapping. His head actually rested on the patio itself, taking up most of it.

"…Index, can you feed DoruGreymon?" Touma asked. "Just because we're about to eat doesn't mean we can leave him hanging."

"Alright… I suppose I can do that." Index sighed and sat up.

"And use the digital meat this time; don't throw the pot of food into his mouth. The ceramic isn't good for his digestion… and losing it isn't good for my wallet." Touma called out again.

"If he's so specific about what he can eat, why don't you feed him?" Index frowned.

"Because I'm about to feed you…" Touma let out an exasperated sigh. "You do like eating, right?"

"He's got you there." Othinus chimed in. She was actually sitting on the table itself, letting her tiny legs hang off the side. She occasionally glanced towards the TV, but otherwise didn't pay too much attention to it.

"…Ok, ok… I'll feed him…" Index began fiddling with her Digivice until a big slab of meat on a bone appeared, gently hovering in the sky. The silver-haired nun slid open the patio door and began feeding the large beast digimon, making new pieces of meat appear as she needed them. During this, Touma came back over with the rice cooker and several plates, as well as necessary eating utensils for their meal.

"…You should be more careful with your digimon, Kamijou Touma." Calumon warned.

"Eh? What are you talking about?" Touma asked as he set the plates around the table.

"The Dorumon line is a dangerous one…" Calumon spoke. "It contains the information related to the "dragon," a mighty beast capable of destruction on a global scale… the entire natural line is very aggressive, and when it becomes a Mega…it will attain power that is capable of making even the Royal knights shiver in fear, for it is unknown if even their mightiest warriors stand a chance against the terror of absolute destruction…!"

Touma blinked a few times before looking up at DoruGreymon.

The feeding had finished and Index had begun to put away her digivice. Just as she did so however, DoruGreymon abruptly licked the silver-haired nun's cheek several times, causing Index to giggle and eventually hug the side of DoruGreymon's head, a gesture the large beast digimon appeared to enjoy as he began to smile.

"…Terror of absolute destruction, huh?" Touma deadpanned as he looked back down at Calumon.

The white digimon in question turned toward the unfolding scene for a moment.

"…But upon closer inspection, yours might be fine." Calumon shrugged.

"Uh huh… sure…" Touma didn't seem amused. "Didn't you say that you had a purpose with coming here? How goes remembering what that was?"

"…Honestly, I thought it might be related to the digital shifts… especially the big one that cause… well; this." Calumon spoke, gesturing toward himself; he was likely referring to his current ability to manifest in the real world. "But… nothing's jogged my memory…"

"…I suppose I can't judge memory problems too harshly…" Touma sighed.

"The only thing I can remember is that it is reactionary in nature… I'm not here to prevent something from happening, but to assist in its resolution… I believe my capability to trigger digivolution might be related…" Calumon suggested.

"You believe? Do you even remember who gave you the job you're trying to do?" Touma asked as he began to fill each plate with food.

"I… don't know…" Calumon frowned. "I can't even remember my master's face… I only have trace memories of the digital world as well… it's like I know of its existence but have never been there myself… my only really fresh memories are of EDEN…"

"…Got it that bad, huh?" Touma suggested. "Well, hopefully it will all work out then. Come on, eat up. It'll be a good idea to grab a bite before Index inhales it all."

"W-why are you giving my digimon a bad impression of me!?" Index cried out.

"It's the truth though…" Touma replied. "Hey, DoruGreymon? Can you get back in my digivice now? You flying out there is probably scaring some other people in the dorms."

With a small bark and a nod of agreement, DoruGreymon vanished once more, returning to his partner's digivice. Afterward, he sat down to eat, changing the channel to a news station as he did so; he wasn't really after any current events and was actually hoping he'd catch a weather report.

But sadly, he was not so lucky. It was another story about the mass digital shift and the digimon wandering around Tokyo, as well as surrounding districts. Academy City itself wasn't particularly negatively affected; with the abundance of espers in the city, keeping the peace was rather easy. And it didn't hurt that most digimon were more confused about their circumstances rather than vicious; they were just as mystified by their appearance as everyone else. In most cases, the cooperated, with only the few violent ones pressing any kind of issue.

"…I wonder how it is in Tokyo…" Touma asked as he took a drink of water. Not long after the meal was finished, Touma's phone rang. Even though he had his digivice, he kept his normal cell phone available, mostly out of convenience of contacting those who hadn't adopted the platform into their lives.

"Hello?" Touma answered. He was in the middle of doing dishes.

"Hey, Kami-yan!" Tsuchimikado answered from the other side of the line. "Honest question; are you busy at the moment, nya?"

"Doing dishes, but otherwise I'm free… what's up?" Touma replied.

"Ah, that works out; it'll be a bit before things get underway." Tsuchimikado stated. "Think after you're done, you could meet me in front of the dorms with the little nun, nya?"

"Why do you need me and Index? Something going on?" Touma questioned.

"Hey, I'm just the messenger; they are the ones who wanted you two. It's related to that whole Machina Revolution thing. She'll explain it, nya." Tsuchimikado answered, and then abruptly hung up.

"…I do not like the way he phrased that." Touma frowned. He didn't know who "she" was, and that fact left him with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Touma? Is something wrong?" Index asked.

"I think we just got recruited into something…" Touma replied.

"…We're not going, right?" Index questioned, not seeming amused in the slightest.

"Last time I tried to tell him no, he threw knock out gas and left us at the airport with tickets…" Touma sighed.

"…Fine," Index joined the unlucky Kamijou with a sigh of her own, standing up and holding Calumon in her arms.

"You remembered to set food out for Sphynx, right? You're not letting Calumon forget you have another pet to watch over, right?" Touma asked.

"Of course I remembered! I'm not dumb… besides, Calumon and Sphynx get along just fine!" Index fired back.

"I didn't ask if they liked each other you know…" Touma deadpanned.

"Human; give me your hand." Othinus suddenly called out. Touma blinked a few times before offering his hand to the Magic God. Othinus stood up and immediately jumped into the unlucky Kamijou's palm, followed by running up his arm before taking her usual seat on his right shoulder.

"…Don't feel like being left behind?" Touma asked.

"Between being sucked into whatever hellish bull you're about to be involved with… or be locked in here with the beast for an undetermined amount of time… I'll choose the former." Othinus answered. "…Besides, it doesn't feel right unless I'm on your shoulder."

"…I've been meaning to ask… but is it normal for humans to be that small? All the other humans I've seen have been rather large… but she's so… tiny…" Calumon asked.

"Come closer and ask that and I'll give you an answer." Othinus glared.

"Alright… it's probably not a good idea to keep Tsuchimikado waiting… especially if it is important." Touma sighed. "Let's get this over with…"

Just as advertised, the blond spy was waiting out front.

"You're out here earlier than I expected… here I thought I was going to have to pick the lock and throw in a special surprise, nya." Tsuchimikado stated.

"Cut the crap; what's this all about?" Touma replied.

"It's related to our adventures for the past few weeks, nya!" The blond spy replied. "Now, it's nothing urgent, but the group who was helping Necessarius out requested you is all."

"…I think I remember Stiyl mentioning that at one point…" Touma crossed his arms. "Who are they working with? I know they contracted you out, but what about these mysterious benefactors they got?"

"Eh… it'll make sense when you meet them." Tsuchimikado shrugged. "Necessarius needed folks well versed with technology to even get magi into EDEN properly. Plus, they were the people who discovered the little buggers to begin with… though it was their lower ranking members, but what are you going to do?"

"Hah… I thought we were done with this though… such misfortune…" Touma sighed.

"That's just life for you at this point, don't you think, nya?" The blond spy grinned. "Ah… well speak of the devil; they're here."

A large black van pulled up, easing to a stop right in front of the building. The van's side door opened up on its own.

"…So this is our ride, huh?" Touma frowned. "…Who are you guys working with? A set of kidnappers…?"

"You best get in there… sadly, I have my own obligations down here, but I'll be with you in spirit! Good luck, nya!" Tsuchimikado waved as Touma and Index climbed inside. Neither one really wanted to go on this little adventure, but it was fairly likely that refusal would just lead to the duo being forced into it anyway one way or another.

The door closed behind them automatically, and the van began to move. Touma, Index, and Othinus were being carted off away somewhere with only the shirts on their back, respective wallets, and Digivices that they happened to bring along.

"So um… can I ask who you are and where we are going…?" Touma spoke up after a moment or two of silence. The one in the passenger seat up front began to shift around, looking back to face the two riding behind.

Touma wished he hadn't of asked. The one riding shotgun had long blonde hair had shining blue eyes, and held a rather sizable grin on her face.

"…B-Birdway!?"

"That's right~ give him a piece of candy for being observant!" One Leivinia Birdway grinned as he looked back at the two. "Step on it Mark; we don't have much time."

As Tsuchimikado watched the black van drive away, he could have sworn he heard Kamijou Touma screaming "NOOOOOOOOO!" as the vehicle vanished into the cityscape.

 **-Two Hours Later-**

"…So it was one of your subordinates that found out about them…" Touma sighed. He had set his chair to recline so he could at least somewhat enjoy the ride, while Index played with Calumon. Othinus had moved to sitting on the unlucky Kamijou's chest, considering his sitting angle.

"More or less. Found out what was going on and reported it to me. I didn't "want" to say anything… but I got a favorable little relationship going on with them." Leivinia was cleaning her nails in the front seat, while her second in command, Mark Space, drove the van.

"What do you get out of it though…?" Touma asked.

"Well, considering that going through the official channels, as well as being the only ones knowledgeable about EDEN to be helpful… and their general dislike for the idea of asking Academy City or anyone else for assistance… I get all the information Machina Revolution gathered on using magic on the platform." The blonde cabal boss replied.

"But they won't let you use it, right?" Index asked, pausing her playing for a moment.

"Yeah; knowledge of and permission to use are two different things, but I have no big operations in mind for it, so just the information is fine." Leivinia replied. "I could have just squashed Machina Revolution and taken it the old fashioned way, but things would get complicated if anyone big or important found out… this way is all nice and legal."

"So you basically bullied them by being the only cabal capable of helping him use EDEN to get their information?" Touma blinked.

"More or less. Plus… our cabal has had a few spats with Machina Revolution over time, so removing them from the picture is nice too. Little disappointed that they just went along with everything once their boss was revealed to be a complete loon though." Leivinia replied.

"Alright… I get all of that… now what do you need us for?" Touma asked.

"Honestly I just needed you for a little experiment, but I figured you wouldn't want to leave home alone." Leivinia answered. "Simple answer though; apparently Samson has been sighted walking around Tokyo while the mass digital shift is going on."

"So he lived and… got back into his body…?" Touma appeared confused. "I thought he was an EDEN syndrome patient? Can he really just poof back into his body…?"

"No, he can't. And that's exactly why I want to experiment." Leivinia replied. Touma wanted to question her further, but the van came to a slow stop.

"We're here." Mark spoke. The doors unlocked and opened, allowing everyone to leave the vehicle.

"Where are we?" Index asked.

"Central Hospital in Tokyo, the one where all the EDEN Syndrome patients are held." Leivinia answered as she stepped out.

"Hold up… we got from Academy City to not only Tokyo, but its main hospital in only a little over two hours? How the hell did you pull that off?" Touma asked as he sat up. The tiny Magic God climbed back up to his shoulder with impressive skill as the unlucky Kamijou stepped out of the van.

"Combination of speeding and a mobile people clearing field." Mark was the one who answered. "Disabled as of now, considering we no longer need it. I assume we are visiting the particular ward housing Samson's body?"

"Right on the money. Let's go." Leivinia answered as she began marching toward the hospital building. Touma sighed and followed along, with Index trailing behind.

The hospital was busy, but considering the chaos caused by the digital shift, perhaps that made sense. They took the elevator in the back of the waiting room, which lead them to a hallway leading to a quarantined section with two guards on duty.

"Sorry, but only family members of the afflicted or Kamishiro staff are permitted beyond this point." One guard spoke.

"Look, I'd go the route of bribing you to let us pass, but we have a time limit. Mark!" Leivinia called out as her second in command stepped forward. The two guards, predicting some form of hostility, moved to grab the magician, but for their efforts they only received two cards being flung into their faces.

"Two of Swords." Mark spoke. The card began to glow, as the light appeared to fade from the respective guard's eyes. After only a few moments, each one collapsed.

"U-um… they're not dead… right?" Touma asked.

"Shouldn't be. It's like… our third trip up here now?" Leivinia shrugged. "If the spell were to kill them they would have already died on attempt one or two…"

"That's… not very reassuring…" Touma sighed. With little else to block their path however, they walked into the quarantined section of the hospital.

Both the left and right sides of the room contained occupied beds, with each person hooked up to life support, likely due to EDEN syndrome rendering their bodies completely inactive. The beds were separated by a set of walls with glass windows, each one with only a single door. It was likely designed for much more infectious diseases in mind, but served its purpose regardless.

As they walked, Touma could have sworn he saw a boy who looked oddly like Yuugo, the leader of Zaxon, except his hair was black instead of white.

"Could he also be…?" Touma asked himself.

"Hey, Kamijou! Get over here already!" Leivinia was over by the door leading to the opposite side the unlucky Kamijou was looking into.

Moreover, right in front of that door near the back was none other than Samson Ainsworth… or at least it looked like him. He was much thinner than his online counterpart, but that was likely due to the possible months of inactivity due to his mind and body being separated.

"Alright, here we go…" The blonde cabal boss stated. "Touch him with your right hand… or punch him; whichever you feel like."

"…I'll go with touching, thank you. He looks like the slightest little tap will cause him to shatter into dust..." Touma lowered his right hand to touch the man's face. Touma didn't know what Leivinia was after, but he didn't really feel like anything was happening.

"Ho… so that's how it is…" The blonde cabal boss commented.

"Could you tell me what exactly it is that you were looking for…?" Touma asked.

"I suppose… it's no mystery that Samson Ainsworth somehow converted his EDEN Avatar to a full physical body, like all those digital monsters running around, and probably trapped his mind there…" Leivinia explained. "I was just wondering if Imagine Breaker would affect that… like if he put a seal somewhere on his body to make it work… looks like it's a bust though."

"Now then you mention it…" Touma glanced at his right hand. "…I punched him full force with my right hand, and it didn't negate anything unusual on his digital body either…"

"Oh? That so?" Leivinia commented.

"That's like Ami, right?" Index asked.

"…Yeah, that's right." Touma nodded. In the few times the unlucky Kamijou made contact with Aiba Ami, she too wasn't erased, despite her current existence being purely a supernatural one.

"You know a similar case to Samson?" Leivinia crossed her arms.

"Yeah… but hers was due to an Eater attack combined with trying to log out… I highly doubt that's the same case." Touma stated. "Considering the differences between the two, I don't think it's the same process… Aiba-san can come and go out of EDEN and the real world as she pleases, but it seemed more like Samson was locked into EDEN to me…"

"Well... put extra emphasis on that "was," Kamijou." Leivinia added.

"Right… even if he has a physical body, if he had become a purely digital entity… the digital shift would give him the ability to enter and exit as he wanted…" Touma mused. "And you said he's been seen around town?"

"Yeah; not doing much, but still active." Leivinia answered. "He's more or less on the wanted list, so taking him into custody would be idea. Guy is a goldmine of information anyway, so it all works out."

"You're… really invested into EDEN, aren't you?" Touma blinked. After a moment, he felt a tug and looked down to see Index with a sad look on her face, staring down the line-up of patients. "What's wrong, Index?"

"I… found Ami…" She replied. Touma looked up to see what exactly she was looking at.

Sure enough, the physical form of Aiba Ami rested in one of the beds. Touma walked over and attempted to use Imagine Breaker, just as he did with Samson, but to no avail.

"…With how cheerful she normally is, it's hard to remember she is a victim in all of this too." Touma sighed.

"Well… that's all I really needed you for." Leivinia shrugged. "If you want, I can have Mark drive you home."

Touma took a deep breath.

"You have no idea how much a part of me wants to say yes to that…" He replied. "…But at the same time, I can't help but feel like something's wrong. A mass digital shift, a cabal boss somehow in two places at once… I feel like if I just cut and run I'll end up regretting it sooner rather than later… though I don't know how Index or Othinus feels…"

"…If Touma wants to stay, then I'll stay too." Index nodded. "I can't help but feel like his judgement is accurate… something is very wrong with all of this…"

"Fool; I'll be staying by your side. As if I'd go anywhere else." Othinus huffed out.

"…Then I guess we're staying until this is over then." Touma smiled briefly.

Therefore, it was decided; Kamijou Touma was staying in Tokyo to help resolve whatever was happening. If the magic side still played a role in the chaos unfolding, then it was very likely Samson would be the one to know about it.

 **-Streets of Tokyo, 34 minutes Later-**

"On one hand… I wanted to explore on foot a little anyway…" Touma mused. "…And on the other, I can't help but feel like Birdway should have invited us to ride around with her too… such misfortune…"

Shortly after leaving the hospital, Leivinia and Mark departed in their van, leaving the group to walk around on foot. Calumon had returned to Index's Digivice over the course of their wandering, but there were a few events worthy of note.

One actually was a rare case of the digital shift being something of a boon. Part of a building had collapsed, causing several people to become trapped under the debris. However, a set of digimon, a WarGrowlmon and a Leomon, stopped to help without a second thought. With their superior strength in play, the duo made quick work of the rubble, even inspiring several people watching to pitch in themselves. There were some injuries, as such an event would understandably cause, but otherwise everyone was recovered and saved before the collapse could become a major issue.

Touma kept walking for another ten minutes or so before taking a break on a bench.

"Man… all the buses are not operating due to the situation at hand… getting around town will be a problem…" Touma sighed.

"And getting on DoruGreymon and having him fly us around is a solid way to get us some unwanted attention by the authorities…" Index joined him, sitting right next to the unlucky Kamijou.

"…Finally have a way to fly around without my right hand getting in the way and we can't even use it… such misfortune…" Touma sighed.

"Such is life for us, isn't it?" Othinus commented.

The three rested in relative silence for a time. Eventually though a set of footsteps ringed out on the mostly quiet sidewalk. However, it was more the voice of the one approaching them rather than his steps that caught their attention.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me…!"

Touma looked to his right to see the one approaching… and he looked more than a tad familiar.

"…Sanada-san?" Touma asked. The individual had his hood up, but a good look definitely gave away that it was Arata. "What are you doing here?"

"I LIVE here, what are you doing here in Tokyo!? Especially at a time like this!?" Arata shouted back. "And how did you get here, anyway!? Shouldn't the military be blocking entrance to the city!?"

"…Would you believe I was tricked into a black van by a blonde girl and her sidekick… who also took care of those problems for us…?" Touma blinked.

"…Are you serious?" Arata deadpanned.

"Kind of irrelevant either way since I'm already here anyway, don't you think?" Touma replied.

"…You have found yourself some weird friends, human." Othinus chimed in.

"W-wait, that little girl I've seen you paling around with is actually… t-that small!?" The rouge hacker was growing more confused by the second.

"After a hole opening up in the sky and unleashing these digimon everywhere, that fact seems rather mundane by comparison." Othinus frowned.

"Considering I had a hand in stopping that whole thing, I'd say I get a break from using that as an excuse!" Arata shook his head.

"Wait… you stopped that hole in the sky thing?" Touma asked.

"More or less… was using electricity from the power grid to cause it… otherwise the two worlds would have been slammed together…" Arata answered.

"…So it was another world on the other side of that hole then…" Touma mused.

"Didn't put the end to the digital shift though… and we shouldn't talk for very long." Arata stated. "Currently a wanted man, after all… I just couldn't believe you of all people would be suddenly taking a pleasure trip to Tokyo now of all times…"

Based on what Arata said, it didn't take many leaps of logic to figure out what happened. He likely took down the power grid either by himself or with other hackers helping him, but others wouldn't understand the context or the connection it had to the hole in the sky, thus he'd be charged with affecting the power grid. Touma didn't know if Arata really did it all on his own or is taking the fall for his friends, but that was a moot point.

"…Well, as said, I didn't really want to come here… but it looks like I'm officially involved in something." Touma pushed himself up from the bench. "A lot of hands are moving behind the scenes, and everything running in the background doesn't feel right…"

"Touma, we should get going, shouldn't we?" Index spoke up as she hopped onto her feet.

"Yeah… it is getting to about that time…" Touma nodded.

"I'm guessing convincing you to go home is probably out of the question, huh…" Arata crossed his arms.

"Sorry, there's something I need to do before I can head back." The spiky haired teen replied. "I won't take up your time anymore, so you don't have to worry. I won't jeopardize whatever you're trying to do."

"…Man, you are a complete pain in the ass." Arata's words were harsh, but he smiled anyway. "That bad luck streak is going to get you killed one day, you know?"

"I want to deny that… but something is telling me that's the truth..." Touma complained.

"Well… I doubt you're going to make much progress without some information…" The wanted hacker commented.

"Probably… but I don't think you have time, do you?" Touma asked.

"…Not really. Stepping out to talk to you is risky as it is, but taking an hour to cover everything would be a problem for sure…" Arata spoke, shaking his head.

However, then the smiled lightly.

"…But I know some people who can fill you in."

 **-Some time later, Nakano Broadway-**

Some say that Nakano Broadway can be seen as a shopper's paradise. Plenty of stores on all four floors, restaurants, and even some specific shops for the Otaku crowd. Truth be told, despite the pandemonium going on in much of Tokyo, Nakano Broadway appeared just as normal and busy as ever as people flooded into the for-story tall shopping mall.

However, out of all of them, there was one particular location that stuck out like a sore thumb, despite being tucked away in a corner on the first floor, a fair distance away from the other shops.

And Kamijou Touma and Index were standing right in front of it.

"…Kuremi Detective Agency…" Touma read the signage for the location aloud. "This is the place Sanada-san told us about… but…"

The part that made him hesitate was a sign placed on the door. It read "Currently busy, please come back later."

"We don't know when they'll be back, human…" Othinus commented.

"…Are you sure we can't stop by that restaurant, Touma?" Index tugged at the unlucky Kamijou's sleeve.

"Maybe on our way back… considering without a place to stay, we don't have an option to cook food… so…" Touma sighed.

"…That's right, we never secured lodgings…" Othinus mused.

"…I'm just going to knock on the door anyway. Worst case scenario they just aren't here…" Touma decided and pounded on the door a few times.

The response was immediate, but far from amused.

"You know, we put the sign out for a reason! Come back in an hour or two!"

It was a female voice. One that seemed oddly familiar…

"…Aiba-san?" Touma called out.

"…E-eh!? K-Kamijou-san!?" The voice called out. The sound of a clicking lock could be heard before the large door swung open.

There, Aiba Ami stood with one hand on the doorknob and the other on the doorframe.

"…It really… is you…" Ami blinked.

"M-more or less, but-"

"W-what the hell are you doing here!? It's dangerous you know!" Ami suddenly shouted. "And… H-how did you get here? You live in Academy City, right!?"

"Sanada-san asked the same thing, you know…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"A-and you saw Arata too!?" Ami asked. "H-how is he? Is everything ok!?"

"He's fine… I think… he's the one to told me to come here to begin with… said the people here could help me figure out what's happening… but I'm guessing this is where you work, huh?" Touma smiled nervously while Ami sighed.

The cyber sleuth in question wanted to ask further, but a voice form inside called out to her instead.

"Hey, we're about to get started with the meeting, don't keep us waiting!"

It was a female voice. Ami looked back with a nervous look before turning back to face the unlucky Kamijou.

"…You want to know everything that's going on?" She asked.

"Kind of need the information for what I'm trying to do here…" Touma sighed.

"…Then it might be best for you to join us then." Ami didn't seem particularly happy, although she did step aside to let the unlucky Kamijou and the silver haired nun inside.

Kamijou Touma and his adventures in Tokyo were just getting started…

* * *

 **And so Kamijou Touma finds himself in the middle of Tokyo, where the meat of Cyber Sleuth's stories comes out! This one and the next are a little exposition oriented... but I hope you enjoy them regardless!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your Leisure; I still enjoy feedback!**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	14. The State of Things

**Hello hello again! Another week, another chapter! This one is a bit more exposition-based again, but having to cover other series' plots kind of leads to that... so oh well!**

 **Before we jump on in: Here are some review responses!**

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Sadly, no they are not; winter weather is in full force around here. But yeah; we are comfortably into the second half of the story, slowly approaching the end. And yeah... foreshadowing is fun! And yes! More Birdway! She needs more activity in the fan community, damn it! But considering her Cabal's goal, she also seemed like a safe inclusion to be involved with this EDEN business at all, so she actually worked rather well. The events get a little more crazy here... Samson isn't done yet!

 _WilliamZ0:_ Yup, and it's a pretty big one if you know the Dorumon line. Calumon is one big ball of mysteries, huh? Yeah, I really do like using Birdway; she is really fun. Lessar would be great too... Damn; too late to think about it, though I have no idea why New Light would be interested in EDEN. And yes, Touma is getting some down time with the CS crew today... Is till think I should have tried to get him some more time with the CS crew; in hindsight, I have him more heavily involved with the Hacker's Memory side of things... but it's a tad too late to change things up now. Hopefully you do end up in the end!

 _Mr. X:_ ...You have a lot of desire to turn this into a harem romantic/sexual comedy, don't you? Would be funny though!

 _whwsms:_ Have we reached the point of no return!? If so, then full-speed ahead!

 _Guest (1):_ Well... some kill, others not... but yeah; no heat-wave... and instead of Academy City, its the entirety of Tokyo AND Academy City!

 _Stitches:_ That... is actually a good question. I keep forgetting about teh Misaka network when it comes to my stories, and it's making me mad with myself...

 _wiliamsusanto:_ Kamijou's wallet is always empty... Index see's to that on a normal day! Let alone if they're traveling! Characters will be reacting to Othinus, don't worry! And as said; yes... that's a clue to Dorumon's mega!

 **With that done... Enjoy!**

* * *

The interior of the Kuremi Detective Agency was surprisingly well furnished, if a little messy. A large set of windows giving sight out into the street, two couches with a small coffee table in the middle of the room, several full filing cabinets, a large desk in the back of the room, and even an entertainment center with a large flat screen TV. However, there were books and papers practically everywhere outside of the middle of the room, especially on the large desk that likely belonged to the owner of the establishment.

As Touma walked in, he noticed the bulletin board in the very back, likely for job postings, but what he took notice of immediately after were the presence of two other girls he recognized.

"Hey, Ami… who is it at the door- K-Kamijou-san!?" Shiramine Nokia suddenly cried out as the unlucky Kamijou entered the room. One Kamishiro Yuuko was also in the area, though if she was surprised, she didn't mention anything. To the trained eye however, she did seem a tad bit shocked.

The only one Touma didn't recognize was the woman sitting at the desk. Though her long blonde hair and her open blouse did give off enough of an allure that made the unlucky Kamijou do a double take.

"Oh? Who is this?" The blonde woman asked.

"E-eh… this is Kamijou Touma… the one I mentioned from the Calumon job awhile back…" Ami answered. "Kamijou-san… this is Kuremi Kyoko, my boss."

The blonde woman's eyes seemed to light up almost instantly.

"Is that so? So he's the one then!" Kyoko smiled warmly. "If I remember correctly, you also crossed paths with him in Under Zero, correct?"

"Y-yeah… we met up for a bit down there before… everything happened…" Touma sighed.

"From Under Zero to Tokyo… you have a way of getting to places at the worst times possible…" Nokia commented.

"Tell me about it… I won a free foreign trip one time, and in no less than a day I was sucked up into some kind of magical naval battle… such misfortune…" Touma sighed.

"…Magical naval battle…?" Yuuko questioned.

"U-um… s-so anyway! Enough about that!" Touma sputtered. "I'm… uh… actually here to find out about what's happening around the city… kind of have some business with a certain someone who might be using all of this as a cover for something…"

"I see…" Kyoko crossed her arms.

"…Would I be incorrect in guessing that this is somehow related to the Hacker team Machina Revolution?" Yuuko suddenly spoke. Touma turned toward her wanting to ask how she knew the specific reason, but he decided against it to avoid making the conversation awkward.

"N-no, you got it right… the group itself has been handled, but their boss escaped and has been sighted around the city… it's kind of one of those "We don't want to take chances" deals… and honestly considering how it all went down with them, I feel the same way." Touma rubbed his neck.

"I can vouch for him if need be." Ami stated. "The times we've met he's been reliable… so…"

"That's fine; I think I understand." Kyoko nodded. "We were just about to begin our own meeting, so it works out well. But before that, I just mixed up a fresh batch of coffee for everyone; you can have some too."

Immediately, the three girls began to shiver in fear, trying to back away on reflex. The sultry blonde was notorious for coffee mixtures that were potentially lethal. Despite the reactions garnered from the three girls, the unlucky Kamijou simply shook his head.

"Mixed…? Sorry; I prefer my coffee black." Touma stated.

"…Black?" Kyoko seemed confused.

"You know… plain? No additives? I'm not much into sweeteners or stuff to change the flavor." Touma shrugged.

"Ho… I see… I didn't expect someone so young to have a handle on the bitter taste." Kyoko replied.

"Yeah; I'm fairly picky about my coffee honestly." The spiky haired teen added.

"Well, I suppose I have to apologize. I have a special blend I make up." Kyoko stated. "Maybe I can make a second brew for you…"

All three girls sighed in relief. The idea of a normal batch of coffee sounded lovely.

"…But how about your friend?" Kyoko asked.

All three girls shrieked in fear once again.

"Oh? I can try it! I can't handle Touma's coffee!" Index cheerfully replied.

All three girls prayed for the silver haired nun's safety.

"Honestly, someone as young as you shouldn't be having coffee at all…" Touma suggested.

"I'm only one year younger than you, Touma!" Index replied. As the nun and the spiky haired teenager began to argue, the blonde detective began to pour out a cup of coffee.

"Here you are my dear." Kyoko spoke over the two, catching Index's attention.

But just one look into the cup revealed…

"H-hold on…" Touma started. "Is that… even suitable for human consumption? L-let alone actually coffee!?"

"Of course it is; I have it all the time." Kyoko replied.

"I-it's too late…" Ami spoke under hear breath.

"May she rest in peace…!" Nokia stated.

"…Hamburgers sounds good…" Yuuko commented.

Index took the cup of "coffee" without any other objections and drank, gulping down the potentially toxic mixture all in one gulp.

A few moment came and went before…

"…Can I have some more?" Index cheerfully asked.

"S-she survived!?" All three girls had similar reactions, even Yuuko who was distracting herself with thoughts about dinner.

"Of course! As much as you'd like!" Kyoko offered cheerfully.

With the initial shock of Index's iron stomach out of the way, the group got started with explaining Tokyo's current situation.

Namely, the reason for the current set of circumstances. Kishibe Rie was actually a powerful mega level digimon known as Crusadermon, a fact that the unlucky Kamijou was already aware of. What he didn't know however was the organization that Crusadermon belonged to; the Royal Knights that serve the ruler of the digital world, a super computer known as Yggdrasill, who was sometimes referred to as King Drasil. This group of thirteen warriors are usually charged with the duty of protecting the digital world where all digimon originate.

However, their world had fallen under hard times. Eaters had been attacking their world for much longer than EDEN, destroying and corrupting much of their land. Moreover, with the origin of Eaters being human in nature, the Royal Knights along with Yggdrasill decided on a plan to eradicate humanity and the Eaters together, and thus the plan to open a pathway from the digital world to the human world was hatched and eventually executed. Digimon appearing in EDEN was simply a lead-up to the current state of affairs. Although the link between worlds was halted, many of the Royal Knights had passed through and were working toward their plan even while the group spoke with one another.

However, not all of the Royal Knights agreed with the plan. Namely, one going by the name Omegamon disapproved. There was another, Alphamon, but that knight had long since vanished from the thirteen. Even for those who did agree, there were many who were more moderate in nature, or simply didn't care one way or the other.

The plan at hand was to make these moderates swing to their side and oppose the planned destruction of humanity. Eaters were proving to be just as much of a menace to humanity as they were to digimon, and Omegamon hoped to reason with his brethren and instead work alongside humanity to forge a solution.

As for Omegamon's current location… well…

"H-holy crap he's huge!" Touma called out, as the Royal Knight in question appeared kneeling in the room. He was mostly white with black joints, appearing slender but powerful. One arm held the visage of WarGreymon while the other appeared similar to MetalGarurumon. It was clear that Nokia's own digimon had combined to form this knightly digimon.

In fact, his kneeling stance appeared to be more of a requirement rather than a form of respect, as Omegamon was tall enough that if he stood up straight, he could easily break through the ceiling.

"Hehe… I kind of had the same reaction, to be honest…" Nokia stated. "Don't worry, he's a complete sweetheart! Plus, he can regress back down to WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon if he needs to!"

"Indeed," Omegamon began. His voice appeared to be a combination of the two who made up his existence. Despite his large size, the knightly digimon's blue eyes had a warm and welcoming feel to them. "That is the state of the digital world, and why the Royal Knights have come."

"I… see… honestly, other worlds is a tad hard to believe…" Touma replied.

"This Digital World is likely a phase created by the existence of humanity or some other being's technological prowess." Othinus suddenly popped out of the unlucky Kamijou's pocket. "What started off as simple networking eventually became so powerful it established itself as its own phase with its own power alone. The fact that the leader of this world he speaks of is a super computer corroborates this… though the exact nature and origin of such a phase I am not fully aware of. Also, this is simply conjecture… I wouldn't be able to tell for sure without involving myself with the location directly."

"…S-so she really was that small, huh…?" Nokia commented. She had actually met Othinus before during their excursion into Machina Revolution's former lair. "W-wait! How does that even work!?"

"Also… a phase…? What is that?" Yuuko questioned.

"…You just had to pop up, didn't you Othinus…?" Touma sighed.

"Hey; you were having trouble understanding the concept of another world, and I put it into context so you could understand it. I'm trying to help, human." Othinus pouted.

"Ho… a fully functional human at a fraction of the size… interesting…" Kyoko was suddenly showing a lot of interest in the tiny magic god.

"Othinus; don't try to correct her about what you are. And Index, don't mention what I think you're going to!" Touma tried to stop the two from throwing more fuel onto the fire of confusion. Index looked ready to say something, frowning when she was cut off, and the tiny Magic God's mouth was currently blocked by the unlucky Kamijou's hand.

Sadly, despite his best attempts, someone else had other plans.

"Oh come on… you explained this magic stuff to me just fine, right?" Ami spoke up.

"M-magic?" Nokia stammered a little. "Come on… that's kiddie stuff… you're joking… em… right?"

"W-why did YOU say it!?" Touma shouted, pointing at Ami. "W-wasn't it already clear I was trying to keep that under wraps!?"

"I… just don't see why it's such a big deal… that's all…" Ami began poking her fingers together. Almost immediately, the unlucky Kamijou felt guilty for yelling at her.

"What do you mean it's not a big deal!? Fairy tales and things from them don't just come to life like it's always been there!" Nokia shouted.

"And monsters don't fall from the sky." Othinus remarked in a sarcastic tone.

"H-hey! You stay out of this!" Nokia commented. "H-hey Kuremi-san, can you talk some sense here!?"

"Hmm… admittedly, I am skeptical… but curious." Kyoko spoke. "The small girl speaks as though she has much experience, and judging from Kamijou-san's reaction, the nun must know a lot about the topic, otherwise such a response wouldn't be necessary… and considering why he is here, he would have little reason to lie to us… and Ami seems very familiar with the concept as a whole…"

"W-when I asked you to talk sense, I didn't mean like that, you know…" Nokia blinked, smiling nervously.

"…Either way though, considering what's happening, the existence of the occult isn't that big of a deal, is it?" Kyoko stated. "Compared to holes in the sky and digital monsters appearing in the real world, the existence of Magic is rather mundane… although interesting."

"Supernatural abilities already exist due to Academy City's esper program as well… I don't see any problems." Yuuko added.

"I see a LOT of problems… honestly, this is kind of flying over my head…" Nokia sighed. "…But it's not like this magic or phase stuff has any impact on what we're trying to do, right?"

Touma thought for a moment before adding to the conversation further.

"…Actually, it might."

"Eh?" Nokia blinked.

"Omegamon… that is your name, right?" Touma spoke. "What do you know about Eaters? Probably more than us, right?"

"More than likely," Omegamon began. "Eaters consume and absorb data, sometimes modifying their own bodies with the information they devour, and transferring the rest to a central unit. That is how the humanoid Eaters you see come into existence. I know much… what do you wish to know?"

"How do Eaters interact with… digimon?" The spiky-haired teen asked.

"Like any source of data, they will try to attack and assimilate them, although digimon are much harder for them to affect. Given enough time however, even digimon can be eaten." Omegamon's explanation was short and to the point.

"…Alright; but since you mentioned that they'll sometimes alter themselves…" Touma trailed off. "…Have any of them ever actually turned into other digimon before?"

Normally, the white knight digimon's replies had been quick and immediate, but this question gave him pause.

"…In what context do you describe?" He eventually answered.

"Like… transforming into one." Touma answered. "Not just shifting its body around to look like one, like when they take on humanoid forms, but actually becoming a digimon. Looking, acting, and attacking like one. Has that ever happened to you before?"

Omegamon's calm and welcoming eyes suddenly took on a sharp expression.

"…No, it has not." He shook his head. "But I can assume that such has happened to you, correct?"

"Yeah… it involves that hacker group, Machina Revolution," Touma began. "…Since the magic cat is out of the bag, they are actually a magician cabal, using the same name. Their leader, Samson Ainsworth, used some kind of magic spell to combine a group of near death digimon into… I think he called it Kimeramon?"

"The Eaters took the form of a Kimeramon?" Omegamon asked. "And moreover… a human managed to create one on his own…?"

"Yeah… the first one was killed, but…" Touma shook his head. "…In Under Zero, an Eater tried to attack Samson, but it suddenly shifted and became another one. Not just that; it completely changed tactics and shifted to fighting us when it previously was trying to attack Samson. When we defeated it, Kimeramon returned to being an Eater before self-destructing. I was hoping you might know something about it."

Omegamon shifted slightly, leaning down just a little closer.

"…I will be clear; such an occurrence you describe has never happened before in my experience as a Royal Knight, or have we ever received a report of such happening." The white knight digimon spoke. "…And to be honest, the prospect of what you're telling me is terrifying… what makes Eaters truly terrifying is not their individual power, but their numbers. But… if they suddenly have access to forms giving them large amounts of power…"

"So far I think it's only happened once… but I can't help but feel like Samson is responsible." Touma suggested. "Since he made the first one, his magic might have done something weird… I don't know how the Eaters would get their hands on the data of that Kimeramon, but…"

"…And this Samson; he is the one you seek?" Omegamon asked. "What is your goal with him?"

"Apprehend him; he has a lot to answer for." Touma replied. "I was just asking in case you knew anything… it happened only once so far, but…"

"…It might happen again, I see." Kyoko spoke up. "It seems like everyone's busy these days. It good to see kids getting their exercise."

"Ha-ha… funny." Touma sighed. "But that's my situation. Guessing you all haven't seen anyone like him around, right?"

"We do have an opening for a case if you need help finding him… if you can pay the fee." Ami commented.

Touma's form visibly recoiled upon the mention of a monetary transaction.

"N-no thanks… I'm good…" Touma spoke in a shaken voice.

"…Eh?" Ami blinked, confused by the reaction.

"You basically might as well have told him that god is dead, life is pointless, and that the one true escape from his torment is death." Othinus blinked.

"E-eh!? J-just how bad are you financially!?" Ami asked. "I-I was joking, you know!"

"I don't want to talk about it…" Touma shivered. "Thanks for the offer… but from the sound of things, you all already have enough on your plate… I'll be fine. It's not the first time I've had to do something like this."

"Are you sure…?" Ami asked.

"Yeah; thanks." Touma nodded. "If I change my mind… well; I know where to ask!"

The young cyber sleuth blinked a few times before smiling warmly at the unlucky Kamijou.

"Never a dull moment here in Tokyo, huh…" Nokia sighed.

"Oh, this is normal for him. If it wasn't this it'd be something else just as bad, if not worse." Othinus spoke up.

"…Eh?" The red-headed girl blinked.

"Yes; Touma is a trouble magnet deprived of God's good graces against his will. Even if he is doing something as simple as his homework in a public place, it will invite chaos and the threat of death to his surroundings." Index added.

"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk about me like I'm doomed from the start… even if it does feel like it…" Touma sighed.

"…It seems to me that you are in good company." The quiet Yuuko spoke.

"Well… we have been through a lot together…" Touma rubbed his neck. As he did so however, a thought occurred to him.

Ami wasn't the only resident of Tokyo he knew.

"…Actually, if you are willing to help me out with something… I do need to know something if you can tell me." He spoke.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Kyoko asked.

"Well… it might be weird but… any of you wouldn't happen to know where I could find a group called "Hudie" here in Tokyo, would you?"

 **-Hudie Internet Café, 27 minutes later-**

"Ugh… what a day." One Amazawa Keisuke spoke as he reclined in his computer chair. He was using his usual PC in the Hudie internet cafe, last booth in the middle lane on the left side right next to the owner's office. He stretched slightly; he was just completing a job for the hacker group he belonged to, Hudie.

Though… it was down to two members now. Chitose was comatose, and Ryuji had gone missing. But someone had to keep money flowing in while things were going south, otherwise the problems would only pile on. The café brought in money, sure, but the big bucks came from their various hacking jobs the group took on

Keisuke pushed himself out of his chair and wandered out of the PC area and into the small local café area they had to get himself a cup of coffee.

"Man… what a day…" Keisuke stated.

"Having a rough one, huh?"

"Yeah… there was that weird job that-!?" The Hudie hacker suddenly turned as he was pouring out his coffee.

The person who spoke he recognized.

"K-Kamijou-san!?" Keisuke stuttered out. "W-what are you doing here!?"

"If I have to answer that question again, I'm throwing something…" Touma sighed.

"Whoa… so this is an internet café…" Index looked around. "…Touma, why haven't we ever gone to one before?"

"Not a big business for internet café's when the whole city has a free internet connection so long as you're a student or you work for the city…" Touma replied.

"Honestly… I never really went to one until I joined Hudie myself…" Keisuke replied. "Em… want some coffee? It's self-serve, but we have a lot of flavors to choose from if you want to spice things up!"

"…What's with this city and coffee? Is it part of the culture or something?" Touma remarked. "I like my coffee black anyway…"

Keisuke looked down at the cup he was pouring before gesturing it out toward the unlucky Kamijou.

"…Really?" Touma blinked.

"I do play the flavor roulette so it never gets old, but I do prefer it normal too…" Keisuke replied with a node. Slowly, the unlucky Kamijou took the cup gratefully.

"Erm… I don't have to pay for this, do I?" Touma asked.

"Oh no, no, no!" The Hudie hacker replied. "I'm the one who made it… and since I'm technically part of the staff here, coffee is on the house."

"…Free coffee sounds like a good perk…" Touma commented before taking a drink.

"Well, grab a seat, I'll be back." Keisuke went off to make himself another cup. Touma sat at one of the tables with Index not far behind. Eventually the Hudie hacker returned, sitting across from the unlucky Kamijou.

"So… I know you don't want to answer it… but what are you doing here? It's nice you came to say hello, but I don't think you came all this way just to see me or anything…" Keisuke spoke.

"…Machina Revolution stuff." Touma sighed.

"…Really? It's gotten that bad with them that you're hunting them down in IRL?" Keisuke frowned. "I knew you had a problem with them, but still…"

"It's a bit complicated…" The spiky haired teen stated. "The group themselves is fine, but their boss… or former boss I should say, is apparently doing shady stuff using this whole digital shift thing as a cover…"

"Sounds rough…" The Hudie hacker replied. "But… he's here in Tokyo? Physically?"

"Yeah… looking for him and remembered you live here and dropped by to see how you were doing… stuff didn't exactly seem pleasant since the last time we met up…" Touma commented.

"No kidding… it's one thing after another…" Keisuke sighed. "I'm the only hacker of Hudie on duty at the moment, so I've been doing that while Erika is looking for Ryuji…"

"Is he still missing?" Touma asked.

"Yes… no… it's difficult to explain…" The Hudie hacker replied. "We don't know why, but he has gotten his hands on a new digimon and is on the warpath… we don't know if it's a reaction due to guilt or depression or what, but he's tearing just about everyone he finds apart…"

"So you're trying to stop him…" Touma commented. "I guess that's not making your personal problem any easier either…"

The personal problem the unlucky Kamijou was referring to was the entire reason Keisuke joined Hudie to begin with. His EDEN account that held a lot of his personal information was taken, leading to a case of stolen identity. That, and due to unique social pressures involved with having to use a temporary account, pressured Keisuke to dive into the hacker community in hopes of finding the one who stole his account.

"That's gotten worse too; turns out the guy who was feeding me information about hackers to go after was actually the one who stole the account to begin with… and is on some kind of a joy ride causing chaos in the city using my face since the digital and real worlds basically merged…" Keisuke sighed.

"Man… that's heavy…" Touma crossed his arms.

"Yeah… and it seems like Erika's condition is getting worse too... things are racing downhill fast…" The Hudie hacker shook his head with a frown.

"…I know I've made jokes before, but you really must like her, huh?" Touma commented.

"I… don't want to talk about that right now, if you don't mind…" Keisuke flushed red. "Who I like is none of your business… and I have a lot on my plate as is…"

"You do have a point… though that being said… is a trip to Academy City really that far out of the question?" Touma asked.

"Money needed is just too steep…I could work for a month straight and not have enough for any kind of medical treatment…." Keisuke sighed. "And trying to game the system by becoming a student while trying to find and settle down Ryuji at the same time… especially with the limited time frame we have as is…"

"I see… a real shitty situation…" Touma frowned. "If you could at least make it to Academy City… I know a good doctor… no matter who it is, even if they are just an inch from death, if they find him, he can save them… or so he says."

"Is he… really that good?" Keisuke blinked.

"Well… I've had my right arm cut off before… can you tell?" Touma commented, moving his arm around to show it off. Truthfully, the reason it could be reattached so easily was a different one entirely, but considering that the idea that it could be reattached and moved like normal as a concept at all was still a testament to the particular doctor's prowess.

"Holy…" The Hudie hacker gulped.

"Would at least be worth a look see… might need to avoid dabbling in the magic side for healing magic…" Touma added.

"Healing magic? I can teach healing magic!" Index smiled.

"…The kind that can heal brain damage?" Keisuke asked.

"That's… more of a taller order, for sure." Index commented. "Never… had to heal a brain before… it should be possible but…"

"Nothing's ever easy, huh…" Keisuke stated. However, he began to smile. "Still… anything is better than nothing. Thanks for the support."

"It's no problem… we're figure something out for her, one way or another." Touma stated. "I just wish I could do something more…"

"Don't worry about it… everyone has their own problems. We have a plan that's set to go in an hour or two; I'm sure it'll work out. We're just trying to confirm his location." Keisuke replied. "Can't save everyone, you know."

The somber but realistic thought made Kamijou smile just a little bit.

"Guess not… you can only help out people you can reach." The spiky haired teen stated.

"Well, since you have someone to find, it might be a time to cut this short." Keisuke stated. "I need to get back to work anyway… where are you off to next after here?"

"Shinjuku!" Index cried out happily. "I've heard so many things about that area, so I want to go to Shinjuku!"

"…So I guess we're going to Shinjuku…" Touma sighed.

"Getting there might be rough… but if you're looking for people, there might not be a better place; it's a popular area." Keisuke stated.

"I'll manage… I can handle the busyness of Academy City just fine anyway. Take care!" Touma set down his empty up and left the internet café with Index not far behind. Keisuke waved good-bye and returned to his booth.

Or at least he tried to.

"Keisuke," Erika stood just around the corner. "I heard everything you know…"

"A-ah… crap… that's right; I should have come and got you… sorry…" Keisuke rubbed his neck.

"…When Kamijou made a certain commented related to you… and me… you didn't deny it." Erika turned a little red, but kept her stern and sullen expression. "…And I would like an explanation."

Things were getting a little heated in Hudie tonight.

 **-Shinjuku, One Hour Later-**

"Look Calumon! The lights are coming on!" Index called out, holding her digimon close to her chest.

"So many bright lights… but the sky is still so dark! The contrast is amazing!" Calumon called out in amazement.

"…You know, we still haven't sorted out where we are staying tonight, human." Othinus poked her little head out of Touma's pocket to speak.

"Part of me was hoping that Birdway would call and ask where we are for a pick-up… but that's seeming more and more unlikely…" Touma sighed. "Though for this, the money is less of an issue… but finding a place to even consider giving a room to a Japanese teenager and a European nun saying they live together… such misfortune."

"Could get two rooms and enter separately." Othinus commented.

"Out of the question; too expensive." Touma shot the idea down instantly. "Just because money is LESS of an issue than the second point doesn't mean that it's NOT an issue entirely…"

"Touma! Touma, Touma!" Index called out. "I found a good looking restaurant! All you can eat! Let's go!"

"…Especially when I have to feed her…" Touma grumbled.

"Fine; point proven…" Othinus huffed. The three began to move when someone caught Touma's attention going down an alleyway.

It was a man who wore a set of black business clothes, looking rather out of place in the commercial side of Shinjuku, but what caught his attention was his face.

It was Samson Ainsworth. Moreover, the two saw each other clear as day. Almost immediately, the former cabal boss began running into the crowd.

"…Index, follow me!" Touma began running. "I found him! I found Samson!"

Almost immediately, Index's brow furrowed as she began to chase after the unlucky Kamijou. Touma kept a quick pace as he pursued the former cabal boss, actually managing to gain on him rather quickly.

Samson took a sudden turn, jumping down a subway entrance not long after reaching a new intersection. Strangely, it appeared as though people were running away from the area, but the unlucky Kamijou had no idea as to why.

His question was answered when a blast of energy suddenly struck the subway entrance, causing it to collapse.

"W-what the hell was that!?" Touma slowed to a halt as something landed next to the destroyed subway with a loud crash, kneeling slightly due to the sudden landing.

It was a large humanoid digimon with white, gold, and purple armor. The gauntlets it wore were clawed, and the palm of each hand rested a bright red sphere. It had a set of purple wings that appeared to have been with the user for quite some time considering how worn and damaged they appeared to be. Its helmet matched its armor's color scheme and had two horns on both sides, aimed forward. The only part not covered in some form of protection was the digimon's dark red eyes.

"Who the hell are you!?" Touma shouted; clearly, the odd digimon before him was the attacker, considering it landed as if to stop him from proceeding forward.

"N-no… why is he here…?" As Index caught up, Calumon began to shout. "Dynasmon… one of the royal knights!"

"T-this guy is a knight!?" Touma shouted.

The armored digimon began to stand, keeping its gaze focused on the spiky haired teen who began to back up on reflex.

"Human named Kamijou Touma…" Dynasmon spoke, his voice loud and forceful.

He held out one hand, showing the red orb in the center.

"…I have come for your head."

* * *

 **Oooo! Ominous!**

 **And so after a short chase, Touma is cut off... by no less than a full fledged Royal Knight!**

 **Things are picking up in Tokyo, huh?**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	15. Brush with Royalty

**Welcome back, my friends... And thanks again for sticking with this story for so long!**

 **Before we begin... you know what time it is!**

 _whwsms:_ Index sees all... she eats all. Oh believe me, I remember... that was my introduction to Gurren Lagann, in fact. And of course, We have some more fun to have.

 _Guest (1):_ Imagine Breaker Shenanigans are fun, aren't they?

 _Stitches:_ Yeah... I don't know why I can't remember the Sisters. Samson remains a mystery... and yeah; the Royal Knights don't need an excuse to try to rough up Touma, huh?

 _Deep Sea Diver Man:_ KingHassanmon. That is all. And it's basically payback for Aleister, yeah.

 _Mr. X:_ ...Yeah you really do want this to turn into a full-on harem story, huh? I won't confirm when in the story but yes, DoruGreymon will reach Mega. I just have a better place for it.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Chaos follows everywhere Touma goes! Whether he causes it or not is a complete mystery! And yeah... Touma doesn't need detective skills to find trouble. And yes, putting Touma into situations where he HAS to discuss magic and science is fun; especially magic as he usually tries to keep that under wraps, so having him be forced to talk about it can be fun to do. And yes! The Digimon side of things has tons of characters, some of which I couldn't include here just because of how many there was... kind of disappointing, actually.

 _WilliamZ0:_ I know how you feel... I guess I'm just talking in hindsight. Do not think otherwise when I say I do love BOTH games though. Misfortune-chan is a wild and violent mistress... And you'll know when time is right for DoruGreymon to digivolve again; trust me.

 _NeoShadows:_ Touma has found himself in the center of the Cyber Sleuth conflict. A-And don't torment me with a Torch! I can't include everyoooonnnneeeee! I'm glad you liked the encounter with Samson; encounters with him are hard but rewarding to do. Plus, the Delta Force being used! And even scoring a new member, basically! And of corse, BanchoLillymon was just pure fun to pull off, cosndieirng who she is bound to. And yes; you should replay Cyber Sleuth, and play hacker's memory; you won't regret it!

 _wiliamsusanto:_ You're starting to get the idea I was going for by giving Touma Dorumon... good eye!

 **With that done... let's dive on in. Enjoy!**

* * *

"My… head?" Touma blinked.

Before him stood Dynasmon, and by how Calumon referred to him as, it was one of the thirteen Royal Knights that Omegamon had told him about.

"Indeed," Dynasmon replied. "Before you ask, we have never met; the reason I have come before you today is not for my own sake, but on the behalf of Crusadermon, and by order of Leopardmon."

"Crusadermon… you mean Kishibe Rie…?" Touma frowned. "She's the reason you're trying to kill me?"

"Someone has attacked her in retaliation to her quarrels with you." The Royal Knight spoke once more. "I intend to draw out this assailant and route them personally, lest I allow them to run amok and potentially interfere with our plans."

"Touma has nothing to do with your friend, so leave him alone!" Index shouted.

"This isn't up for discussion, human." Dynasmon replied. "It does not bring me joy to end life, but if it will secure our plan, I will gladly do so for the sanctity of the digital world!"

"…What?" Touma shook his head. "Look, I have no idea about anything like that, I never-!"

The spiky-haired teen jumped back suddenly when a blast of energy fired from Dynasmon's open palm. Just as the royal knight had insisted, the time for discussion had ended, which made Touma curse internally.

In truth, he wanted to completely ignore the knight in front of him and chase after Samson, but Dynasmon couldn't care less. It was likely that the royal knight knew full well where he was headed and destroyed the subway entrance to deter him.

It was fight past it or give up entirely.

"Damn it all… DoruGreymon!" Touma called out, his partner materializing in that exact moment. The large beast digimon's body slammed into the knight, forcing the two backward.

But it wasn't long before Dynasmon was able to lift and throw DoruGreymon onto his back; the initial pushback was due to the shock of a sudden attack rather than any real show of strength. Dynasmon was a clear superior and it showed, but DoruGreymon paid that fact little mind, quickly rising back to his feet to attack again, even if his opponent could easily deal with him.

"Crap… is the gap of power really that large…!?" Touma cursed.

"Don't misunderstand; the Dorumon family is a powerful line of digimon," Calumon began. "And you would not be incorrect in assuming that even its ultimate form has the potential to outclass some mega level digimon… but Dynasmon and the other royal knights are not in that category. Without his mega evolution, you won't be able to handle one on your own."

"Damn it… so that's how it is, huh…?" Touma clenched one fist as he grit his teeth, watching the scene unfold before him.

"…Human, you're not thinking about jumping in there too, are you?" Othinus asked.

"Thought crossed my mind… but I couldn't do anything right now, right?" Touma cursed. "At the same time though, what the hell else am I supposed to do? Just leave DoruGreymon out there to die!?"

Touma's fist shook out of anger and frustration. He genuinely had no idea what to do; he didn't want to abandon his partner, but at the same time he didn't know what he could do to help. The option existed to ask Calumon to use his ability to induce digivolution, but the close proximity to Dynasmon was an issue; Touma didn't know if Dynasmon could digivolve further, but if so, he didn't want to find what the knight would turn into. Given how little he knew about how Calumon's ability, he decided against requesting it.

But if not that, then what could he do!? He was right back at square one; watching his partner get thrashed by an opponent easily more powerful than him.

Once more Dynasmon forced DoruGreymon to the ground, but this time the royal knight backed up a short distance, putting him in the middle of the intersection. Dynasmon held out his two arms with his palms open as energy gathered in the orbs in the center of each.

He was preparing one of his signature techniques; **Dragon's Roar.**

If Touma wanted to step in and do anything, now would be the time.

However, just as he started to push forward, someone else stepped in and took his place.

A large black insectoid digimon slammed into Dynasmon's side, interrupting the charge period for the attack.

Touma recognized the insect digimon all too well.

"Gran… Kuwagamon…?" Touma blinked. "As in… Fukutsuwa-san's GranKuwagamon!?"

"T-this is bad… GranKuwagamon might be a mega, but he's still no match for a royal knight!" Calumon called out. During this brief exchange, Dynasmon shifted to grabbing ahold of the black insect's pincers to force GranKuwagamon off as the large insect forced him back.

"Impudent creature…!" Dynasmon growled as energy began to gather once more at its palms. However, just as the royal knight began to prepare his attack, someone leapt off of GranKuwagamon's back.

It was a person with whirlwinds wrapping around his arms.

"If your body is too damn hard to hurt directly… then let's try something a little more vulnerable! **Double Cyclone!"** Hiraku shouted loud as he thrust his arms forward. The whirlwinds erupted into full torrents of air as the shot forward, each one slamming right into Dynasmon's eyes.

"G-gah!?" The royal knight cried out in pain as the rampaging wind slammed into his face, damaging his eyes and causing his hands to fly up to them quickly. At this moment, Hiraku took to the air, quickly putting distance between himself and Dynasmon.

"Alright! While he can't see for shit, introduce that jackass to the pavement, GranKuwagamon!" Hiraku shouted. The black insect tightened its pincers around the royal knight before rising up a small bit before slamming Dynasmon into the street. He then flew forward, forcing the royal knight through the asphalt, slowly digging deeper over time. Eventually, GranKuwagamon let go and backed up a small bit before his pincers began to glow, before charging ahead again and unleashing its **Dimension Scissors** attack, which sent Dynasmon flying back, deeper underground until the royal knight was completely buried.

"Holy shit… talk about a combo attack…" Touma commented.

"The unison between Magic and Digimon appears to be a fierce combination…" Index added.

"Don't celebrate yet; that was nowhere near enough to take down a royal knight!" Calumon shouted.

Just as the small digimon spoke, a section of the street broke apart as Dynasmon rose from the earth, shaking off the concrete that rested upon it. Almost immediately it began to once more prepare its **Dragon's Roar** attack, unleashing it without delay. Two blasts erupted in the shape of dragon heads, flying in alternating paths toward GranKuwagamon.

"…Well, didn't plan for a counter attack; was sure that'd put him down. Huh." Hiraku had landed on his partner's head some time ago, but only chose now to comment further.

"You didn't have a plan B!?" Touma shouted. Hiraku wanted to argue, but he had little time to do so as the attack was quickly approaching. It was too fast to evade so all that could be done was to set-up a defensive barrier with his magic and hope for the best.

Luckily, it appeared as though someone or something was looking out for them, as another digimon entered the fray and blocked the Dynasmon's attack with a rather large circular shield.

"…Gallantmon!" Dynasmon's tone took a more notable serious one at the notice of this new digimon's appearance.

The digimon showed a striking similarity to Samson's ace in the hole, ChaosGallantmon, however the air around him felt much different. The somber black and blue colors were traded in for much brighter white and red. It held out its shield in its defense while it carried its white lance with the other.

"…I do not know why you attack these people, but for you to unleash your full strength so readily, defeating them must be rather important… am I correct?" Gallantmon suggested, readying his lance for battle.

"Even if you intervene further here, you will be wasting your time, Gallantmon." Dynasmon retorted. "My goal here is a side project to help secure our goals. Even if you best me here, it will do little to stop the gears already in motion."

"You speak as though felling the enemy before me would somehow be a detriment to my goals in this conflict, Dynasmon." The red knight spoke. "As long as you identify as Leopardmon's subordinate, my goal will be to halt your advance at every turn, even when it comes to these "side projects." Abandon this fight, or you will taste my Gram; this is the one mercy I shall grant to a former comrade."

"…Are these humans truly worth saving?" Dynasmon asked. Gallantmon however remained silent, staring down his foe with his lance prepared.

This lasted for about a minute before Dynasmon suddenly spread its wings.

"Very well, old friend. I shall withdraw as you request… but this is far from over." The opposing royal knight took to the air and departed without another word. Only when Dynasmon was fully out of sight did Gallantmon lower his guard.

"Attacked by a royal knight… and saved by one… what a day…" Calumon commented with a sigh. "You do not live a dull life, that is for sure…"

"I don't like commentary from the peanut gallery…" Touma remarked before turning his attention to the red knight digimon who stood before the group. "Hey… um… thanks for the help… I don't think we could have handled that ourselves."

"I would consider that a likely conclusion if he was taking you even remotely seriously." Gallantmon replied. "I would be hesitant to sing praise for my aid; my reasons for intervening weren't to simply lend a helping hand, but rather to stop whatever Dynasmon was attempting to accomplish."

"Still… the end result was helping us out so… still; thank you." Touma smiled briefly before turning his attention to his downed partner who was slowly getting back up. Gallantmon appeared to be a little perplexed by the response he received, eyeing the unlucky Kamijou for a moment or two before replying.

"…So suppose what you say is true, regardless of intent." Gallantmon stated. "However, I must ask what business a royal knight had with you; it would appear unlikely that any of you would purposefully seek a fight with someone like him."

"Don't know; I was just sent out to fetch someone, and that blowhard was attacking the guy I was tasked with collecting." Hiraku spoke upon jumping down from his GranKuwagamon, who then vanished into the wind mage's Digivice.

"…Wait, you're here for me?" Touma asked, appearing a little on the defensive side.

"Nothing bad… just that… well… situation has changed in recent weeks." Hiraku replied.

"In that case, would it be safe to assume Dynasmon had business with you, then?" Gallantmon turned his attention to the unlucky Kamijou.

"Apparently… someone on my behalf was attacking an ally… Crusadermon." Touma replied. "I don't know the details… but after Crusadermon attacked me and my friends in a server, apparently someone attacked her back and drove her into a corner… at least enough of one to make whoever is behind this whole digital world invasion put a hit out on me to lure out whoever pulled it off…"

"…A human capable of pressuring Crusadermon…" The red knight digimon mused aloud. "…And you do not know the identity of who could have done this?"

"Not a clue; if I had some details I might be able to figure it out, but Dynasmon wasn't up for discussion as you saw…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"…I understand." Gallantmon stated. "I suppose it matters not; anyone who would directly challenge their plot can be considered an ally of some kind. I would highly recommend avoiding any more encounters in the open; it would be unlikely for me to find you again to intervene."

The red knight then turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Index asked.

"To continue my quest; I have more of my brethren to meet and attempt to convince to change sides." Gallantmon replied. "Should we meet again, I hope it would be under more peaceful circumstances."

With that, the red royal knight jumped up into the air and onto another building, before repeating the same motion until he was out of sight completely.

"…Is it over?" Othinus poked her head out of Touma's jacket.

"Y-yeah… it's over I think… with that debris in the way and the time we spent though, it's pretty likely Samson got away." Touma commented.

"You found him?" Hiraku asked.

"Chased him through a crowd; he took the subway tunnel down and then that digimon blew up the entrance." Touma sighed.

"Yeah… damn; by now he's definitely gotten away." Hiraku cursed. "Ah well… there'll be next time; with him restricted to this mass digital shift, if he wants to do anything in the real world, I don't think he can really leave Tokyo."

"Good point…" Touma nodded. "What are you doing here, though? I know you showed up to get me, but were you already in Tokyo?"

"We all were; picked out this city for our base of operations because of how close it was to the heart of EDEN and whatnot." The wind mage stated.

"I'm not exactly fond of the idea of working with the people who did bad stuff to me…" Calumon commented.

"Erm… r-right… sorry…" Hiraku rubbed his neck nervously. "I-I tried to look around for replacements and to try and make things more comfortable… but… yeah…"

"Why are you even up and about? Shouldn't you be in custody?" Index asked.

"Well… let's just say negotiations are fun." The wind mage crossed his arms. "They wanted in on the tricks to track down Samson, we knew the tricks. It was kind of play along or have fun on your own."

"And how did that argument go?" Touma asked.

"…If that Birdway chick didn't step in, I think it's safe to say we'd be rotting in a cell…" Hiraku sighed.

"Yeah you didn't strike me as much of a bargainer." Touma nodded.

"Seems like an airhead to me." Othinus chimed in.

"Hey, I heard that you midget!" Hiraku shouted.

"Good; you were supposed to." The tiny magic god fired back. She could tell that the wind mage wanted to shout something, but he managed to restrain himself, only letting out a heavy breath and grabbing the tip of his general hat.

"…Right, point is, I was sent out to find you and bring back." Hiraku stated. "Lil' lady found a place to set-up shop. Normally I'd take you straight there, but a sighting of the guy ought to be reported to everyone ASAP… and that Stiyl Magnus is closer than that high class hotel across the city."

"…Yeah that figures; Birdway is definitely that "Go big or go home," type of girl…" Touma commented. "I'll be good to go once DoruGreymon is."

During the conversation, the spiky haired teen had been tending to his partner's wounds as best as he could. When he was finished, DoruGreymon abruptly licked Touma's cheek before nuzzling his rather large head into Touma's body affectionately.

"…Those two are close, huh?" Hiraku blinked.

"Hold on… instead of visiting Stiyl, couldn't you just call him? He has a cell phone, right?" Index questioned.

"You expect that hard ass to loan out his phone number? We were lucky to find out where his base of operations was." The wind mage replied.

"…That makes more sense than it should." Touma commented. "You good to go big guy?" He spoke to his partner, who responded with a cheerful yelp before vanishing into Touma's Digivice. "Alright, I'm all set… you know where to go then?"

"Yup! Leave it to me!" Hiraku pounded his chest before setting off abruptly without much notice. At least he was courteous enough to remember that his partners in crime couldn't fly and stuck to the ground.

"So… where exactly did Necessarius set up?" Touma asked as he followed with Index not too far behind.

"Spot about twenty minutes from here; probably has the whole place secure so he'll know if someone is coming." Hiraku replied. "Bit of a jog, but what can you do?" He shrugged, keeping ahead and directing everyone where they needed to go.

About ten minutes passed in relative silence; outside of occasional directions or comments, not much was really said. It was actually starting to feel a little awkward.

However, a question formed in the unlucky Kamijou's head around this point, and it was one he had difficulty putting out of his head.

"Hey… Fukutsuwa-san? It's alright if you don't want to answer but… you seemed to have a bit of history with Samson… what exactly happened between you two?" Touma asked.

"…So… you want to find out about my past, huh?" Hiraku asked.

"Sorry if it's sudden… like I said you don't have to answer." Touma added.

"Nah, its fine I guess. After all I said back there it's probably something eating at you." The wind mage stated. "Guess the short answer is that he saved my life about ten years ago and took me in."

"Saved you, huh?" Index commented.

"Yeah; small family out in the sticks. Little town of only about three hundred people. Was just my parents, my older sister, and me. Mom and Dad were always out working, so it was my sister who always took care of me I guess… I was a tad bit of a wuss back then." Hiraku said.

"Well, you were what… six, seven back then?" Touma shrugged.

"Good point I guess," Hiraku began again. "Anyway, it was a small town… so I'm guessing whatever magic cabal pulled the stunt decided that them going missing for a magic experiment wouldn't be too big of a deal."

"Oh… I think I see where this is going…" Touma frowned.

"More or less; Mom and Dad never came home that day." Hiraku spoke. "Neighbors were gone too… then some people broke down the front door and me and my sister went running. She ended up locking me in a closet, saying she was going to draw their attention…"

"Ah… sorry to hear that…" Touma frowned.

"Not your fault; not like anyone saw it coming." Hiraku shrugged. "The big guys responsible eventually did find me and were preparing some kind of spell to harvest my life force I think… and then Samson stepped in. He and his boys put an end to the whole thing… and seeing as I lacked a family due to the pieces of shit they just finished taking out, decided to take me in. Rest is history."

"So… he really was a different kind of person back then, huh…" Touma crossed his arms.

"Yeah… like I said, what he's like now is recent… someone or something changed him. Don't know if someone messed with his head, or that trip to the digital world he talked about really did alter his mind set that much…" The wind mage sighed.

"…Don't worry. We'll set things straight with him." The spiky haired teen announced. Hiraku looked back briefly before smiling.

"Right; capture and knock some sense into him!" The wind mage abruptly shouted.

"You two having a fun time?"

"E-eh? S-Stiyl!?" Touma stuttered out. The red-haired mage in question had stepped out of an alleyway a small distance ahead of the group.

"Well, what is it?" Stiyl asked. "We're busy over here and can't be bothered with every little thing."

"Sighting of Samson, over in Shinjuku." Hiraku stated. "Took a subway tunnel that ended up destroyed by a digimon attack."

"A lead then?" Stiyl asked.

"Could be; don't know what he'd want over in Shinjuku though. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, what happened?" Stiyl spoke as he took his cigarette out of his mouth.

"I saw him in a crowd, tried to chase him down but I was attacked by another digimon, who destroyed the entrance he took to the subway system. Took too long to repel the attack to catch him." Touma stated.

"Yeah… turns out some high-ranking digimon related to this whole situation with the city has a bone to pick with our friend here. Bad luck at its finest…" Hiraku added.

"…That's nothing new for incidents involving him." Stiyl commented. "Still, it's another lead. He's been keeping to a circular area around there, but it's the first sighting in Shinjuku proper. Seems like he's either testing out his body in the unique state that it's in, or he's looking for something. No idea which he could be after."

"Chances of it being both?" Hiraku crossed his arms.

"Possible… but we don't know exactly what he's trying to accomplish to begin with since he's been cut off from all brands of support… right now he's fairly unpredictable."

"Well… figured the best we could do was report that we found him… he's definitely aware that he's being hunted though; took off running the moment he saw me." Touma stated.

"Good; if he knows we're after him that will make him desperate. And the more desperate he is, the more likely he'll slip up where it matters most." The red haired mage spoke.

Suddenly, Touma felt a tug at his shirtsleeve.

"Touma… can we go? It's getting late…" Index asked, yawning cutely not long after. Calumon was nowhere to be found, so he likely returned to Index's Digivice.

"I guess… unless we're needed for something…" The spiky haired teen replied. However, a short time later his Digivice rang, signaling that he got a message. He pulled it out to check before suddenly frowning. "Actually… Fukutsuwa-san, do you think you can take Index and Othinus to wherever Birdway is trying to meet us?"

"Huh? Sure, but you're the one she wants to see… what's up?" Hiraku asked.

"And why am I being left behind?" Othinus growled lightly.

"Because where I'm heading is probably full of people due to all the chaos in Tokyo, and you'll stand out." Touma argued.

"What happened Touma?" Index asked.

"…Amazawa-san texted me; Erika-san is in the hospital." Touma replied.

 **-Central Hospital-**

"Hey, I came over as fast as I could, what happened?" Touma asked the moment he found Keisuke in the lobby on the ground level.

"You didn't have to race over here you know… but thanks." Keisuke sighed. "Remember the plan I told you about? The finding Ryuji one? It was a complete bust in the worst way possible…"

"Oh man… and it put Erika-san in the hospital?"

"Fei too."

"She was there!?" Touma vaguely remembered Yuugo's right hand woman.

"It's a long story… thought we found Ryuji, but it was just a dummy signal laid out to fool us…" Keisuke stated. "His real target was Fei, who was with Erika at the time… things got heated, Ryuji's new digimon digivolved and wrecked the whole café…"

"Well… if it makes you feel any better, I found Samson, but shortly after I was attacked by a Royal Knight and he got away…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"A Royal… Knight?"

"High ranking digimon… that thing Kishibe turned into is one of them… apparently someone's been taking shots at her and pinned it on me, and her friends got pissed…" Touma sighed. "Shouldn't be hard to figure out what happened after that…"

"So… she lived after all…" Keisuke mused. "This is… going to get worse before it gets better, isn't it?"

"Probably… from what I understand, this whole mass digital shift is a plot by Kishibe… my target is using the whole situation as a cover for something nefarious, and to top it off, Ryuji-san is out for blood and doesn't care who gets in his way…" Touma sat down. "…Are they ok at least? The girls, I mean."

"Stable condition… luckily, none of their injuries were life threatening… Erika would be good to go in a day or two if not for her head injury… Fei is out of commission for a while though…" Keisuke sighed. "From what I get, Ryuji is for sure out of his mind due to what happened to Chitose… Erika getting worse probably doesn't help… in fact at this point that might be what's wrong…"

"He might be scared that he will lose his sister, then wind up alone." The spiky haired teen commented. "Still… this much of a rampage… even almost killing her sister… all due to grief? I don't think it's the only thing here… something might be manipulating him…"

"...There is that new digimon he's running around with. I think it's called Arkadimon… and we ran into situations with digimon potentially affecting their owner's personality rather drastically… so it could be causing his emotions to fly out of control and he doesn't realize it?" The Hudie hacker crossed his arms. "…If its manipulating or amplifying his negative emotions to send him on this rampage… then taking away the source of them should snap him out of it… but…"

"Yeah… only ways for that would be to somehow save Imai-san… or cure Erika-san… both feel equally impossible…" Touma commented. "I don't know if the magic side would have a solution or not… Imai-san's situation involves his mind being devoured, so I don't know what could fix that… the only one we could attempt to fix up is Erika-san… but to even attempt that we'd have to visit Academy City…"

"You're telling me… a way to get to Academy City, huh…?" Keisuke mused.

"I can get you there."

"!?"

The third voice came from behind the two, and a quick turn revealed it to be none other than Kamishiro Yuuko herself.

"Y-Yuuko-san? " Touma blinked.

"H-hey, Kamijou-san, when did you get on a first-name basis with someone like her!?" Keisuke asked in a startled tone.

"W-we aren't, it kind of just slipped out!" Touma sputtered for a reply.

"…First name basis…" Yuuko blinked a few times. "…I like it. Please use my first name from now on."

"E-eh!?" Both teen's reactions were the same.

"If we use first times, that means we're friends, right?" Yuuko tilted her head slightly.

"I-I mean… a-anyway, what were you saying before?" Keisuke asked.

"I can help… you say Academy City should be able to help in some way, correct?" Yuuko asked. "If money is what you need, I should be able to handle it."

"R-really? I mean… I figured that due to being the former president's daughter meant you had money… but…" Touma trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. "Wait… what are you doing here?"

"Visiting Fei; we are close." Yuuko replied. "Sorry for eavesdropping… but I heard you mention her and decided to listen in."

"N-no its fine! After all, you gave us the solution we needed!" Keisuke replied.

"Y-you should specifically request a doctor with the nickname of "Heaven Canceller," in that case they should get you the right hospital." Touma added.

"I'm sure they'll be interested in a case like this, so us at Kamishiro who have been managing her treatment should be able to reach some kind of a deal." Yuuko replied. "Although… they'll likely request the presence of someone she knows… ideally a family member, but we could convince them as long as it's someone Erika knows to some degree."

"That so…?" Touma crossed his arms. "In that case…Then maybe you should go, Amazawa-san."

"M-me!?" Keisuke stuttered.

"Sure. If Kami…Yuuko-san can get ahold of the Heaven Canceller, she can drop my name; he's my regular doctor so he should agree after that!" The spiky haired teen stated. "Plus, you're the only one left who knows the full scope of her condition. Getting Ryuji to agree right now is out of the question in his broken state, so it has to be you, right?"

"But… while I'm watching over her… Ryuji will be…" Keisuke crossed his arms.

"Even if you stayed, I don't think there's a lot that could be done about him at the moment, right…?" Touma stated. "…Besides, I can keep an eye out for him. I can't make a move on Samson until we find out where he is, so I can keep my ear to the floor for anything while I'm searching."

"…Are you sure? I saw that Arkadimon fight even while it was a rookie; it's really strong." Keisuke warned.

"Leave it to me; I'll figure something out!" Touma replied. "I've been facing strength gaps for as long as I can remember; I'll hold down the fort for you."

Keisuke eyed the unlucky Kamijou for a moment before abruptly breaking out into a smile.

"Thank you… I really mean that you know… Erika is… well…" He trailed off for a brief moment. "Seriously, thank you!"

"Don't stand around thanking me; you have a girl to save, don't you?" Touma grinned.

With little more to say, Keisuke and Yuuko left to visit Erika to work out a trip. On the other hand, Touma left to make a call for someone to come and pick him up; he had no idea where Leivinia Birdway had set-up shop and needed a way to find her.

He had a job or two to work on, after all.

* * *

 **And here we are at the bottom... bit of a short one.**

 **I realized that I wen't a little heavy on the Hacker's Memory side of things... but I'm also at this point where the things that happen are fairly cemented and can't change easily. If I could add more stuff to have more to do with Classic Cyber Sleuth, I would... but at this point, it'd be just padding. Sorry if that disappoints anyone, but I'd have to change/add quite a bit, and I think it's just a tad too late to do that.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, Review at your Leisure; I still enjoy your feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	16. Those Who Have Suffered

**We have returned once more to this story of Misfortune, Sleuths, and Digimon! we're trucking along at a pretty good pace, I think!**

 **Before we begin: Review Response Time!**

 _Stitches:_ Touma's misfortune holds no bounds... all types will be drawn to him! Yeah; it's hard to forget Last Order due to her strong association with Accelerator. Yes; Worst would definitely have LadyDevimon in my opinion!

 _whwsms:_ It really is... Chaos and Misfortune is just the usual for our unlucky Kamijou!

 _Mr. X:_ I suppose that's true... It's a bad habit I suppose, but at the same time, Kamijou Touma isn't the kind of person/character who just naturally thrashes everyone in sight; outside of Imagine Breaker, he's pretty limited and can only fight certain opponents. The Argument could be made that I could just make DoruGreymon evolve, but I'm saving that for a special circumstance... and his Mega really would trivialize certain events, like the one in this chapter. I know you say that Worst's digimon should be Impmon, but I genuinely do agree that LadyDevimon, perhaps digivolving into Lilithmon, would fit Worst the best... But that's just me. And Stitches apparently.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Glad that I can make events you otherwise wouldn't know about nice and engaging for you! Yeah, right now its all about setting up building blocks for events down the line. Do the Scenes in Tokyo really feel that different from EDEN's? Perhaps because there is an innate understanding that "It's the real world," meaning one has to differentiate the rules of each world. Yeah... Cyber Sleuth and Index both have rather large character lists, so fitting every single one of them in from both sides was out of the question from the get-go... so I went with the roster that'd make the story the most interesting!

 _Guest (1):_ Those are some interesting theories, my good sir...

 _WiliamZ0:_ It happens; better late than never, as they say! It really is... I go with the methodology of "Make a chapter as long as it needs to be," as in while I could have packed more in here, it'd likely just be fluff; padding if you prefer. I could have packed more into the scenes presented... but oh well; What's done is done! This one should be a little longer than last time's! Yuuko just wants to make friends, and friends use first names! It's innocent, I swear! You'll see about Birdway... fufu...

 _64:_ H-he's already won over Othinus! He doesn't need any more Gods/Godesses in his Harem, otherwise we're going to run into serious problems! In all seriousness, I actually have little to no knowledge about Digimon Next, so I don't think I could go that route.

 **With that done... Enjoy!**

* * *

Currently, the unlucky Kamijou was running in EDEN. However, he was not just anywhere; he was in the Valhalla Server descending down into Under Zero. It was his first attempt to return to the accursed site since the Eater invasion that slew so many helpless people.

About a week had passed by since Touma accepted the charge of looking out for Ryuji while he searched for Samson Ainsworth. The former cabal boss in question hadn't made a move since his appearance in Shinjuku, and left few clues as to what he could be doing in his wake.

Similarly, Ryuji had also vanished from the public eye. His rampage had been well documented previously; numerous hackers attacked and their digimon devoured by the monstrous Arkadimon, who grew stronger after every foe it faced. However, Ryuji appeared to have dropped off the map for unknown reasons, as for a brief time his random assaults on the hacker community had ceased.

With both of his marks out for the week, that made it a rather dull passage of time for the unlucky Kamijou. However, that all changed with a simple phone call he received from Yuuko out of the blue.

Kamishiro staff had sighted Samson descending down into the depths of the Valhalla server on a course for Under Zero, and there was someone following him. Touma didn't know who the stalker was, but an appearance of the former cabal boss was too important to ignore.

Therefore, Touma logged in and ran, sending out messages as he needed. He reached the second floor before his first piece of back up appeared.

"How is it that I sent you the message while on my way… yet you beat me here?" Touma asked.

"Fast as the wind baby." Hiraku commented. "So he's heading down, right?"

"Only thing of importance down here to anyone outside of Kamishiro would be Under Zero… probably that black cube in the middle of the room…" Touma replied. "…Ah, right; you weren't there, so you probably have no idea what I'm talking about… sorry."

"No problem; I'm sure I'll understand what you're saying when we get there." Hiraku nodded. "…So is it just you and me?"

"I sent out what I could… Birdway is apparently coming, but went silent when I asked for an ETA, and I don't have Stiyl's number, so…" Touma shrugged.

"…Then it's you and me." Hiraku tipped his hat. "If he's on his way to Under Zero, it'll be a dead end, best place to trap him. Let's mosey."

Touma nodded and the duo descended into the depths of the server. It was a lot less hectic without other hackers lying around every corner. Eventually they did make it to Under Zero proper; ground zero of the Eater invasion.

Samson was there all right, and had Kimeramon at his side, but the unusual part was who he was locked in battle with.

It was Ryuji. He looked irritated, as one would expect, but a red miasma appeared to emanate from his body, adding a more intimidating effect to his appearance for those who happened to see him.

However, the more horrifying part was the monster standing next to him. The digimon at his side looked more akin to some kind of demon rather than a beast. It was tall, bipedal and muscular, but the ends of its arms looked like masses of tentacles resembling claws. It had two wings, the interior of which seemingly made similarly to its claws as well. Its head appeared oddly small for its bulk form, and had even more tendrils coming from the back of its cranium resembling hair.

If rumor were to be trusted, this digimon was simply known as Arkadimon, and its name did not change depending on its stage of digivolution like the others.

Ryuji's disappearance suddenly made a little more sense now; in the case that he was the stalker following Samson into Under Zero, then it was likely that he was hunting Samson. Although that raised the question as to why during his random assaults he would suddenly focus on one particular individual and drop off the map to take him down, but those were topics that could be addressed later.

Arkadimon had locked arms with Kimeramon, neither one willing to back down. The two digimon appeared to be reasonably around the same tier of strength; Arkadimon was powerful enough to trump other ultimates and even mega level digimon, despite only being an ultimate stage itself, yet appeared to be evenly matched against someone at a similar stage of evolution as it.

However, that's when Touma noticed something odd.

The black cube in the middle of the server was gone.

"W-what… it's gone…?" Touma commented. "That thing looked like the whole reason Under Zero existed… where the hell did it go?"

"It devoured it." Ryuji spoke in a cold tone. "Saw it myself; his goal here was to eat the object and absorb its data to strengthen his digimon." Despite offering an explanation, he kept his irritated gaze focused on the former cabal boss opposing him.

"Suppose one can't make it out alone too long before someone notices…" Samson stated. The two monstrous digimon exchanged several physical blows before backing off from one another.

"Shit… looks like these two are dead even…" Hiraku commented. "You are after this Ryuji guy too, right? Talk about choosing the lesser of two evils…"

It was just as the wind mage spoke; both of these two were in the wrong. Whatever plot Samson had in mind needed to be thwarted, but at the same time, Ryuji's rampage needed to be halted.

Letting one tire the other out appeared to be not an option considering how evenly matched the two digimon appeared to be, especially since their two dueling men owners noticed their arrival.

A choice had to be made of who they would support.

"I… don't like having to lend a hand to either one…" Touma mused. "…But I don't want to find out what Samson has in mind for that cube."

DoruGreymon spawned behind the unlucky Kamijou, aimed looking toward Kimeramon, with Hiraku's GranKuwagamon doing the same. Ryuji glanced toward the two briefly before refocusing his attention on Samson.

"Feh… so that's how it is, huh?" The former cabal boss cursed.

"You lost the right to complain a while ago." Hiraku tipped his hat. "I don't know what you're planning, and I don't care; I'm taking you down!"

"…Oh how the loyal have fallen." Samson spat. "I would punish you personally… but a three against one isn't what I signed up for!"

Samson suddenly jumped up onto Kimeramon's back.

"Besides! Since I already have what I want, there's no reason to hang around! Let's leave these pests in the dust, Kimeramon!" The former cabal boss shouted. His digimon roared out in kind, unleashing a barrage of blasts from its hands all over the area. The assault was nothing but a diversion, however, with only a few actually thrown directly at those below to force a reaction. When the onslaught ended, the two had vanished completely without a trace. The only speck of evidence that remained that the two were even there was the missing black cube.

"…Have I mentioned that your cabal's teleporting shenanigans is annoying when it comes to finding someone and keeping them in place…?" Touma commented.

"Oh piss off, will you!?" Hiraku spat. "I'm more curious about what this black cube business was all about, and what the bloody hell Samson wants with it."

"It was a cell, sophisticated in design to hold something very powerful. It likely had trace amounts of data related to what was inside after it was released. Probably ate it for a power up of some kind…" Ryuji spoke, but did so in a manner that appeared more as if he was talking to himself rather than those around him.

"…Dare I ask what was inside it?" Touma questioned. He had a sneaking suspicion that the monster at Ryuji's side might have been that prisoner; he knew far too much about it for it to just be offhand knowledge.

"Why did you get in my way?" Ryuji abruptly turned to face the two with his arms crossed.

"Get in your way? I don't know what scene you were watching, but we were about to help you out, asshole." Hiraku shot back.

"Didn't need it, and now you drove him off." Ryuji replied coldly. "…Suppose I'll have to take what I can get in a case like this."

The Hudie Leader suddenly turned his attention fully towards Hiraku, with Arkadimon following suit, letting out a low rumble of an unusual sound from within its body as it did so.

"…Hey, step off or I'll be giving you and your friend a beating." The wind mage stated, with his GranKuwagamon returning the sentiment.

"Ok, stop, both of you!" Touma stepped in-between then. "Fukutsuwa-san, stop antagonizing him! Ryuji, knock it off, will you!?"

"…He started it…" Hiraku rubbed his neck.

"Stay out of my way, Kamijou." Ryuji ordered.

"And let you go on some kind of a massacring rampage? Not a chance." Touma argued. "You have to stop this, you're hurting people!"

"Not until I'm finished. I'm not done yet. Now get out of my way; it's the last time I'm going to tell you." The miasma emanating from Ryuji's body began to intensify, despite his clam-looking face. Whatever was influencing him was getting worse.

But…

"…Is this really all because of what happened to Chitose-san and Erika-san?" Touma questioned.

The Hudie leader's face almost immediately twisted in fury.

"You watch your god damn mouth." He growled. "I don't want to hear it from some brat who has everything he could ever want up in another city too snobby to even look towards the normal people who actually need the help!"

"Hey, I'm just a level 0-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Ryuji shouted. "I lost my best friend… and now I'm losing my sister when I already have so little; I don't want to hear a word out of your mouth about how you could understand what I'm going through!"

"Least you still have your sister! Mine's long dead! I don't know what the hell is happening, but if she's dying, shouldn't you be with her and not on some kind of glorified riot!?" Hiraku fired back, sounding irritated himself.

"She's… all I have left… she's all I have god damn it!" Ryuji roared. "Arata left us… Chitose is gone… Keisuke betrayed me… she's all I fucking have! And I'm just supposed to accept that!?"

"And how exactly does killing everything in sight resolves this how exactly!?" Hiraku remarked.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UUUUUUPPPPPP!" Ryuji began shouting loudly, to this Arkadimon reacted. It lifted up his colossal arm and punched down toward the two, forcing them to quickly jump to the side to evade, their digimon backing up as well.

It was more than clear that Ryuji wasn't in his right mind, and his sudden shift in sanity made that abundantly clear. Touma didn't know what was happening in the Hudie leader's head, though he was clearly depressed and angry all at once. Depressed that he was going to be alone, and angry at the world itself for causing it. It really was that he was losing everyone he cared about that pushed him over the edge, and whatever digimon that stood behind him was either using or amplifying those emotions.

But… even so…

"…You're right; I don't understand what it's like to slowly lose everyone and end up being powerless to do anything about it." Touma spoke up. "But… what I do understand is that feeling of isolation… that loneliness… that is a feeling I definitely understand."

"What the hell do you know?" Ryuji snarled. "I've seen you with that nun girl and the one that rides your shoulder. Seen you act with high-ranking espers. What the hell is there for you to understand?"

"A fair amount, honestly" Touma began. "Thanks to a certain someone, I spent a rather long time by myself, fighting an endless battle that felt like it went on for years… no matter what I did… I just found myself in that black void with no one else other than the one tormenting me for her own amusement."

Ryuji narrowed his eyes, readying to order Arkadimon to attack again. It appeared that he cared little for Touma's argument.

"…So I'm saying I understand that darkness… but I'm here to tell you that you don't have to worry anymore." The spiky haired teen stated. "Just like how my hell ended, yours is about over too."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryuji demanded.

"I'm saying that Erika-san is going to be fine, you dingbat!" Touma shouted. This finally seemed to strike a cord in the Hudie leader who suddenly froze in place.

"…W-what?" Ryuji stuttered out. "But that… shouldn't be…"

"If you're willing to swallow your pride, you can call Amazawa-san and ask him yourself!" Touma added. "We found someone who can handle it. Understand? All this grief and violence… it's pointless! Erika is fine; by now you can probably ask her yourself!"

Truthfully, Touma didn't know if what he was saying was true or not; for all he knew Academy City might not be able to do anything, and he hadn't heard from either Erika or Keisuke since they left. However, he had to say something to break through the dark cloud surrounding Ryuji and his mind.

But…

"…Don't feed me that bullshit, Kamijou!" Ryuji roared. "I tried everything… everything! And you expect me to just believe that you found a way to save her in less than a week!?"

The darkness invading Ryuji's mind was just too thick to pierce without the truth being put in front of him. Without proof, he wasn't going to even consider it.

"I'm not lying! All you have to do-"

"Enough! Arkadimon, **Dot Matrix!"** Ryuji ordered. Suddenly a section on Arkadimon's chest opened up and fired a blast toward the unlucky Kamijou, forcing him to block with his right hand. The blasts began to fire rapidly, eventually causing Touma to move to evade them before their numbers became too great. The attacks struck the server floor, destroying large sections of it with relative ease. The impacted areas appeared to become pure "Ones and Zeros" in binary and floated aimlessly in the air, which were then all quickly sucked up like a vacuum by Arkadimon's gaping chest.

"S-so… is it safe to say that whatever gets hit by that gets reduced to binary code…!?" Hiraku questioned. "Think that works on us too!?"

"Not something I wish to find out, you know!" Touma shouted back.

"Well how the hell do we fight it!? A conceptual one-shot isn't something you can just tank, you know!?" Hiraku yelled.

Realizing that its ranged assault wasn't effective due to the mobility of its opponents, Arkadimon charged ahead for physical strikes instead. Both DoruGreymon and GranKuwagamon rushed ahead and collided with the monster, but Arkadimon was able to throw both digimon aside with little regard for them.

It took direct attacks from an ultimate and a mega, shrugging off both blows as if they were nothing and kept running like a steam engine.

Straight toward Kamijou Touma.

"…I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but…" Hiraku trailed off before abruptly taking to the air. "I think the big guy is after you!"

"I noticed- h-hey! Get back here!" Touma shouted as he witnessed his ally abandoning him. A loud groan emanated from the monstrous digimon as it approached, slamming one arm down onto the ground in an attempt to crush the unlucky Kamijou. It just narrowly missed, but the shockwave from the impact launched Touma a fair distance away, landing on his back.

He sat up to see Arkadimon focus on him once more before resuming its charge against him. Touma scrambled to his feet and ran; doing everything he could to avoid the monster's attacks.

"H-hey! Can I get a little help here!?" Touma shouted.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Hiraku fired back as he remained in the air. He beat his head a few times, possibly trying to force some kind of idea into his head, before abruptly making a mass of wind in his right hand and chucking it right at Arkadimon's head. The mass suddenly erupted into a full tornado on contact, but it appeared to do little other than cause the monster to pause briefly.

It then suddenly swung its arm through the whirlwind, outstretching its claw-shaped tendrils toward the wind mage above.

"…I believe I've made a terrible mistAAAAAAKKKKKEEEE!" Hiraku screamed as the tendrils wrapped around him and suddenly flung him toward the other side of the server, smashing into the ground with a loud crash.

"F-Fukutsuwa-san!?" Touma stuttered out.

"I'm… ok…!" The wind mage in question held up a single arm, which fell to the ground shortly after.

"…Holy crap if he touches me, I'm dead…!" Touma gulped. Touma continued to back up as Arkadimon lumbered closer, once more raising up an arm to attempt to crush the unlucky Kamijou. However, a large iron ball slammed into the monster's arm, causing it to miss and give Touma a chance to escape by running under its legs.

Arkadimon appeared less than pleased however as it turned toward the source of the attack, DoruGreymon, with its chest opening up once more for another **Dot Matrix** attack. The ball of energy launched, but just as it did, a large mass of flame slammed into it with enough force to neutralize it.

As Touma ran, he saw another digimon entering the fray. It appeared to be a dragon of some kind, but it was certainly unique; its lower body was serpent like but its upper torso was clearly humanoid. It had golden hair all over its body, and grey hair along the middle of its tail that eventually led to its torso, the coloring extending to its pectorals. It had three sets of wings, totaling in six, and wore a horned grey mask with red markings on the horns, and a great white beard covering the rest of its face. Finally, long silver hair flowed from the back of its head down its back.

It was a Goldramon, another Mega Level digimon.

However, who did it belong to?

"Seems like a party started up while I was away… how about that?" One Leivinia Birdway spoke as she marched down the pathway to the large circular area.

"B-Birdway!?" Touma sputtered.

"Yeah, what? I told you I was on the way." The blonde cabal boss stated. "Guessing that big hentai-monster is why Goldie rushed on ahead."

"…I'm assuming this big guy is yours?" Touma pointed his thumb toward Goldramon.

"That's right…" Leivinia crossed her arms. "…You know, I heard that Samson was here, but I don't see a Samson…" She frowned and narrowed her eyes, looking irritated.

"…Who the hell is this?" Ryuji spoke up.

"…And I already don't like the punk who took his place." Birdway commented.

"L-look, it's a long story and I can tell it later, but Samson got away." Touma stated. "This guy… it's a little bit personal. If you want to walk that's fine; this is something I need to deal with."

"…So he was here, then?" Leivinia crossed her arms.

"Yes, that is basically what I just said!" Touma shouted. "Now do what you need to do and-"

Leivinia's frown turned into a grin as she walked past the unlucky Kamijou, throwing Touma for a loop.

"What I'm hearing is that this piece of shit is in the way of our operation, and that much I can understand." She spoke. "Goldramon, let me make this clear; I want you to beat that tentacle monster down enough that you can wear its corpse like a scarf!"

The golden digimon in question nodded before tensing up its body. It appeared to be quite muscular under its fur, and those muscles appeared to bulge; it was getting ready for a fight. Touma could have sworn that its fur appeared to shine brighter after the order to battle was given.

Arkadimon response was simple; its chest opened up once more to unleash its **Dot Matrix** , when a pair of black pincers suddenly wrapped around the monster's body from behind, hoisting it up to make the attack miss completely as it soared into the air harmlessly.

GranKuwagamon had come back for revenge, and created to perfect opening for Goldramon's opening gambit as it formed two bright lights in each hand before smashing them together to use its signature attack, **God Flame,** unleashing a large torrent of flames down on the two, with GranKuwagamon effectively using Arkadimon as a shield from the assault.

"Leave the freak to us… from the sound of things, you have something to do, don't you?" Leivinia spoke before strutting off, apparently moving to join the conflict directly.

She was right. He turned to DoruGreymon, and the two nodded at each other.

Then they focused their gaze upon one person; Mishima Ryuji.

"Tch…!" The Hudie leader clicked his teeth. He was more than a little separated from Arkadimon, especially with the monstrous digimon in question in active combat.

"Hey; call out your Cyberdramon already. I don't want to hear any complaints like "I could have defeated you if I had this!" or anything like that." Touma shouted.

What he didn't know was that Ryuji's Cyberdramon was actually Arkadimon's first victim when he encountered the digimon. Rather than reply, the Hudie leader instead chose to close the gap between him and Arkadimon, suddenly taking off in a sprint towards his partner. Almost as soon as he started however, a large ball of steel slammed into the ground in front of him, cutting him off as he slid to a stop.

"You're… actually going to have your digimon attack me?" Ryuji cursed as he turned to face the unlucky Kamijou, only to find him running straight at him.

"From what I heard, you've been doing that for the past week! So I don't want to be hearing commentary like that from you!" Touma shouted. Ryuji attempted to punch the unlucky Kamijou when he got close, only for Touma to duck under his fist and slip into his guard.

The Hudie leader could only look down as the force of his own fist carried him forward, watching as Touma rose back up with an uppercut straight his jaw with his right hand. The blow threw Ryuji back in a stagger, but Touma didn't let up as he quickly punched Ryuji in the stomach hard enough to knock him onto his back.

"D-damn it all…!" Ryuji growled as he forced himself back up.

"I don't mean to brag, but I'm pretty good in a street fight." Touma stated. "Not good enough to stop someone who has a blunt weapon or a gun, but I can hold my own when push comes to shove."

"Get the hell away from me…!" Ryuji began to back up. "This doesn't have anything to do with you, Kamijou!"

"It is my business when it involves someone on a rampage of grief, hurting everyone around them; especially when it includes friends of mine you bastard!" Touma shouted. "How does this help anyone!? How does this save anyone!? How the hell does any of this save Erika!?"

Ryuji grit his teeth and took another step back.

"You think this will help her!? Will this stop situations like hers from happening to someone else!? Of course it won't!" Touma continued. "Do you think that anywhere in her mind she wanted any of this!?"

"Don't use her as an example like you know her you bastard! Don't act like you understand either of us!"

"You put her in the fucking hospital you idiot!" Touma shouted.

The Hudie leader froze.

"What the hell were you thinking!? I might not understand what the hell is going through your head, but how in the hell did you reach that conclusion!?" The spiky haired teen kept the pressure on. "Were you thinking that she was suffering so much that you might as well put her out of her misery? Did you really think that someone just as scared of her death as you are would want to die even faster!?"

"N-no, I didn't mean to-"

"It doesn't matter what you intended, that was the result you bastard! How do you intend to make that up to her!?"

Ryuji continued to put distance between himself and the unlucky Kamijou, his face growing more and more distraught as Touma continued to speak.

However, Touma had enough.

He leapt forward with one final line for the Hudie leader.

"The only thing she wants right now is to spend her remaining days with the brother she loves so much! So stop fucking around and wake up from this fucked up illusion already!"

He shot forward with a chambered fist. Touma words appeared to affect Ryuji greatly, as he appeared unable to move from his position.

However, just as the blow would land, a series of tendrils suddenly slammed into the ground between the two, separating them. Amidst its battle with GranKuwagamon and Goldramon, Arkadimon saw the situation unfold and upon seeing the finishing blow to its master about to be dealt, thrust its arm out towards the two, sending its tentacle appendages towards them to steer the fight in his master's favor.

With the attack being so sudden, Touma was already in his punching motion and couldn't stop, and thus slammed his right fist into Arkadimon's tentacle.

The effect was immediate as Arkadimon began to howl in pain. It was unknown why, but Imagine Breaker had severe detrimental effects on the monster. It wasn't banished or destroyed by the contact, but something definitely happened to cause it significant amounts of pain, so much so that it retracted its tentacles to avoid touching Imagine Breaker further.

GranKuwagamon, who have previously been struggling to keep the monster at bay, wasted no time before attacking Arkadimon from behind with **Dimension Scissors** in its weakened state,launching the monster into the air. Goldramon followed up quickly by flying up to match the monster's height and once more unleashed a powerful **God Flame** attack, bathing Arkadimon in golden flames and hurling it into the ground, landing a fair distance behind Ryuji.

"Arkadimon!" Ryuji shouted, running over to his partner's side. Arkadimon struggled to regain its composure; whatever Imagine Breaker did to it must have been catastrophic, as not even Goldramon had been able to deal a significant amount of damage to it prior. The Hudie leader grit his teeth before opening op his console.

He clicked around for a time before setting up on a screen Touma didn't recognize, before briefly looking back at the unlucky Kamijou.

"…Ryuji-san…" Touma muttered. Ryuji closed his eyes before looking back to his console and pressing a button.

In the very next instance, he and Arkadimon were gone.

"R-Ryuji-san!?" Touma ran forward into the space the two previously occupied, but they both truly had disappeared.

"Teleportation? Didn't know that guy was also some kind of mage…" Leivinia spoke up as she approached the scene from behind.

"…He's not. He's not even an esper…" Touma replied.

"…Hey, dingbat!" Leivinia abruptly shouted. "Stop laying around and explain this!"

"Screw you…!" Hiraku, the person the blonde cabal boss was yelling at, fired back. "I got turned into a ragdoll, cut me some slack!"

"Explain this shit before I kick you in the cotch you blowhard!" Leivinia shouted again.

"I don't fucking know; if it's outside of the spell I don't know shit!" Hiraku managed to sit up, but looked for from happy about it.

"Well… the fact that his cabal could do it at all… maybe there was already a method to teleport around?" Touma suggested.

"…Don't know. Admin Privileges? Would make sense for the big wigs to be able to navigate their own servers at will like that… if it exists it can probably be hacked into…" Hiraku shrugged.

"Well isn't that a load… man… a special personal visit and we walk away empty handed…" Leivinia sighed. "Still… what the hell was Samson even after?"

"Some kind of cube-thing that was apparently here. Made off with it and fused it with his Kimeramon, I think… probably to power the thing up." The wind mage slowly pushed himself to his feet, finally feeling capable of standing.

"Chances of tracing that…?" Leivinia asked.

"…Well, If I'm right, that cube used to hold that Arkadimon at some point, so its data signature is probably all over it… Don't know if that'll help…" Touma replied.

"…Arkadimon left a whole bunch of data all around thanks to that fight, plus the scrap it had with Kimeramon…" Hiraku commented. "…If it's a fusion of some kind, Kimeramon probably now has a lot of similarities from a data standpoint to Arkadimon if I had to guess… hell might even be leaking data if the fusion was unnatural."

"So… find a way to track the trail it leaves behind…?" The blonde cabal boss asked. "What's to stop that from leading us back to that Arkadimon thing?"

"Nothing… but narrowing down our options to two locations instead of literally all of them is an improvement, right?" The wind mage grinned slightly.

"I suppose… it's not like it'll be hard to gather the thing's leftovers…" Leivinia nodded.

"Least we got something out of it… next time we meet him, it'll be the last time." Touma spoke. "I'll try and stay out of the way of your collecting… since that thing reacted to Imagine Breaker, I don't want to accidentally destroy something valuable to the search…"

"Fine by me; you put in work trying to stop that guy." Hiraku replied. "Sorry you couldn't make it through to him though… I might have been flat on my back, but I heard every word, you know?"

"…It's fine." Touma smiled lightly. "I did everything I could… besides; I don't think I'm the one who's meant to wake him up from that illusion. I think that job is up to someone else."

"If you two are done, we have work to do." Leivinia spoke up. The two nodded in agreement. Moreover, with little else to stop them, progress towards the last encounter with Samson commenced.

Whether or not that would lead to an end of things, however, remained yet to be seen.

 **-Academy City-**

"Accelerator! Accelerator! Misaka Misaka chants repeatedly to get your attention!" Last Order called out repeatedly towards a certain number one esper.

"…What do you want, brat?" Accelerator grumbled. He had been taking a nap and being interrupted left him less than enthused.

"It's the savior! Misaka Misaka says in a cornered tone!" Last Order replied. "He's on the news! Misaka Misaka says pointing towards the living room!"

"…Are you fucking serious?" Accelerator frowned as he reached for his cane. Shifting from his bed to stand, he slowly made his way towards the living room to see what his little companion was talking about.

On the television, a news report was underway, detailing the effects of the mass digital shift, as well reporting that the affected area was slowly expanding. In addition to conjecture as to the cause, it also went into detail about the digimon now all over Tokyo, highlighting several violent cases involving them.

As advertised, one of the instances being broken down by the news anchors was the clash between DoruGreymon and Dynasmon, including GranKuwagamon and Gallantmon's intervention. Several shots of people were shown as well, including ones of Kamijou Touma.

"…How the fuck did he get to Tokyo?" Accelerator spat.

"He looks like he's in trouble… the savior needs help! Misaka Misaka announces loudly!" Last Order stated.

"I don't even know what the fuck he's trying to do…" The number one esper replied. "…But if it's bad enough for him to get directly involved…"

His thoughts turned toward the incident in EDEN a few weeks ago with Machina Revolution. He couldn't help but think that the two situations were somehow related.

Normally, Accelerator wouldn't care and would stay out of the conflict at hand… but…

"…Something is fucked about this whole thing." Accelerator spoke. He knew that the entire digital shift was beyond unusual, but seeing Touma out on the front lines only made him think that something even bigger was going on behind the scenes.

Kamijou Touma did get into a lot of trouble, yes, but usually for a good reason. Either he was dragged into it against his will… or…

"What are you going to do? Misaka Misaka asked pleadingly." Last Order tugged on Accelerator's sleeve lightly.

The number one glanced down at his little companion before releasing an annoyed sign and grabbing his cellphone from the coffee table in front of the television.

"I have some calls to make; it's pretty fucking unlikely that I'm the only one seeing this shit."

* * *

 **And here we are at the bottom. What do you think of this one?**

 **Ryuji lost his mind, narrowly avoiding his Illusions being Shattered, Leivinia having a Digimon already (And Goldramon of all digimon), and some potential fun with folks left over from Academy City! We're not done yet!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, Review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	17. Paths That Met Now Must Part

**Hello again, my friends! We're slowly approaching the end of the "Kamijou Touma" Route of this story.**

 **But... just because that route is ending soon, that doesn't mean that this story will be ending. We still have a little more left.**

 **This one is a bit more of a calm one... but I hope this is good set-up for what comes next!**

 **Before we get started... Review responses! GO!**

 _whwsms:_ When the Kamijou faction goes to war... bad things happen to bad people.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ I'm glad that I've been able to easily make the "real world" and the digital one feel different. Yeah... Ryuji's character arc is a tragic one in nearly every meaning of the word, so I thought it would be a great fit to have Touma have an encounter with him. The character Arata who goes through a similar route, but noticeably more "crazy," but that gets wrapped up rather nicely in canon so I felt that it wouldn't add much to have the two meet during this state. Samson used to be a good guy who wanted to help people, but he's slowly falling apart and falling deeper into the darkness, still thinking himself to be in the right... I think it makes him a good reoccurring villain. Dot Matrix is terrifying in concept; as it reduces everything to its basic elements of "Ones and Zero's" it implies it rips apart its targets by what binds them, which sounds horrifying... and I like it a lot. I wish I could tackle Ryuji getting through his challenges here, but as I've said... that'd basically require me to write the entire Hacker's Memory arc into text... if you are interested, I highly recommend tracking down a video series of the story... or if you can, playing through it yourself.

 _Mr.X:_ I'm just saying how I see it... although personally, I feel like LadyDevimon's natural digivolution, Lilithmon, fits Worst the best. I know you argue for Impmon, and maybe he does, but the rest of virtually any of his digivolution lines don't; Beelzemon being more akin to Accelerator than Worst for example. I have the endgame all planned out... and I hope you like it.

 _Stitches:_ Believe me, there are tons of names and variations due to changes between Japan and Western releases... confusion would be common. Ryuji is being manipulated by Arkadimon in the most nasty way... by simply amplifying his aggressive reactions to the world at large... his arc really is a tragic one.

 _A certain reviewer:_ Maybe, maybe not... a lot of stuff in the world of digimon can get pretty broken, let me tell you.

 _MarkGib:_ Oh lord... Fate/Extra... I love that game. I feel like Fate/Extra's story is pretty set in stone, so just mixing To Aru into it probably wouldn't add much... Fate/Extra CCC however is a different story entirely. However, I'm not entirely familiar with CCC, as the game hasn't been translated properly... I would be 100% down with playing CCC and something story-wise related to it, but until I know more about it, I can't really mess around with it too much.

 _WilliamZ0:_ Better late than never, my friend! And yes; The Kamijou Faction is readying up for war!

 **With that done... I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Every time I look at this room… my wallet hurts…" Touma sighed and he pulled himself from his chair. Having just gotten off EDEN after an unsuccessful search, he took a moment to look over the lavish room Leivinia had chosen for their base of operations.

It appeared beyond expensive. It wasn't just a room; to call it such was a disservice to its grand nature. It was a full suite with multiple bedrooms, each one carefully decorated with extravagant paintings and figures, as well as a large and open living room, containing a large TV, several plush couches and chairs, a full dining room set, and even a fully stocked kitchen.

Though Touma was the only one who really used the kitchen; Leivinia seemed more than content with take out, despite overspending for the amenities. Touma actually had to force the blonde cabal boss to eat a home cooked meal, despite her commenting each time that she liked what she had eaten. Taking care of Leivinia was definitely one rough ride, that was for sure.

"…Mark, I do not envy your job." Touma rubbed his neck.

The little blonde cabal boss in question was lying on her stomach watching the TV, munching away on some potato chips she had picked up during her daily rounds. She was watching some kind of childish anime; her tastes really were on opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to her professional and personal life.

A loud knocking came at the door.

"Hey Kamijou, Index is taking a shower and Mark is off chasing a lead; get the door, would you?" Leivinia put another chip into her mouth. "I ordered pizzas a half hour ago and that might be them. Money is on the counter next to the door, thanks."

"Pizza? I told you I was going to make diced pork tonight…" Touma crossed his arms.

"Come on; this is your one excuse to be away from home and you insist on doing everything like normal; loosen up a little. This is the closest thing to a vacation you're probably going to get in the coming months you know." Leivinia fired back.

"…You know, lying on your stomach eating chips and pizza all day while watching anime is a good way to get fat." Touma deadpanned.

"Psh, don't you know how the female body works?" The blonde magician retorted. "First, it'll all go to my tits, then my hips and ass, and then I'll have to worry about belly fat. I think I know how my own body flares out, thank you."

"So what you're saying is… you've gotten fat before then?" Touma replied. "…And by that, you've gotten so far off the scale in the opposite that you might be critically underweight?"

"If that was an indirect flat-joke, I'm stabbing you in the dick. Now hurry up and get the god damn door."

"Fine, fine…" Touma sighed as he began to walk to the door, opening it promptly as he did so, eager to silence the blonde monster making demands.

Only to find a surprise waiting for him.

"Hey, Touma-chan! Long time no see!"

"C-C-Chitose-san!?"

Touma stuttered in utter disbelief. Standing across from him was someone who absolutely shouldn't be; someone who should be locked in a hospital bed in an indefinite coma.

Imai Chitose.

"Hey, Keisuke-kun! I found the room!" Chitose leaned back and called down the hall.

"W-wait! Amazawa-san is back too!?" Touma moved to look down the hall himself to see the Hudie hacker checking various rooms before looking down the hall himself, before quickly walking over.

"There you are… been looking all over… hard to tell which room is whose when all you have is security footage showing which floor you might be on…" Keisuke stated. "Couldn't find your name in the registry… but Erika was adamant that you'd be here…"

"Em… that's probably because I'm not the one who bought the room…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"That'd be me; what's going on here?" Leivinia popped in, partially shoving the unlucky Kamijou aside with her own head.

"Oh! What a small cutie!" Chitose smiled. "She young, but I can tell she's going to grow up to be a beautiful woman! The aura of possibilities is strong with this one! You've got nice taste, Touma-chan!"

Leivinia blinked several times before looking up at Touma.

"…Tell your perverted friend to piss off before I shove knives up his nose- ow!" The blonde cabal boss suddenly cried out in pain as Touma chopped her head.

"He's been in a coma for almost a month now; cut the guy some slack." The spiky haired teen scolded.

"…Feisty, huh… heheh…" Chitose nervously laughed.

"Who is that? A niece or something?" Keisuke asked.

"…I'm not going to touch this explanation for a while; nothing I can do would convince you of what I'd tell you." Touma sighed. "…But Chitose-san woke up? And it sounds like Erika-san is around here… you guys made it back already, huh?"

"She honestly needs more hospital rest… but she was pretty stern about coming back as soon as she could…" Keisuke put his hands into his pockets.

"The little missy is in the lobby on the bottom floor if you want to say hello." Chitose stated. "You're probably dying to know how stuff went, anyway."

"…I see…" Touma nodded. "Birdway, I'm going to head out for a bit."

"Eh? I don't know… random guys coming over and-"

"I think the pizza guy is coming down the opposite way."

Leivinia wasted no time before grabbing the money she had set out and darting down the hall.

"…Excuse to escape?" Chitose asked.

"Yeah, let's go before she gets back." Touma nodded.

It was a high-rise hotel, and Touma was staying near the top, so the elevator ride took a bit of time, especially with people getting on and off at random.

Before long however, they reached ground level and stepped out into the lobby to find the third missing member of the Hudie crew sitting by herself.

"…So you found my brother after all, huh?" She asked.

"Not as much as a hello, huh? Cold." Touma sighed. It didn't take long to explain the unusual circumstances surrounding Ryuji's confrontation with Samson and the eventual fight they had with the Hudie leader.

"Couldn't snap him out of it, huh…" Keisuke crossed his arms. The three took a seat around Erika as Touma began his explanation. "Bad luck… that digimon of his seems like a real problem to deal with too…"

"I did everything that I could…" Touma replied. "Felt like I was getting at least somewhat through to him… but he left before I could pull him out of his funk…"

"At least… that means our Ryuji is in there somewhere." Chitose spoke up. "He might be deep inside, but that means we can pull him out from here."

"Any idea how?" The spiky haired teen asked.

"Well, Erika is out of the hospital, I'm up and walking around again… unless we have to go lift Arata off the street somewhere, I think we have a good place to start if the thing that's bugging him is the thought of being left alone." Chitose replied.

"Speaking of that… how are you doing that, exactly? Didn't your mind get eaten?" Touma asked.

"We pulled his mental data out of the Eater network." Erika answered.

"S-seriously!? You can just do that!?" Touma replied. "Wait… how did you do that!?"

"Hijacking a line and entering the network, finding his data and pulling him out." Erika stated rather plainly, as if it wasn't anything special. "Hard part was finding it; had to get our hands on Chitose's Ankylomon and have him lead us… but getting inside undetected wasn't that bad to be honest."

"So… what; did you get an Eater, strap it to a table and just… jump on in?" Touma blinked.

"…I can tell that explaining any of this would be a waste of time." Erika frowned, looking quite annoyed.

"On one hand, I feel insulted, but on the other, you're not exactly wrong either… such misfortune…" Touma groaned. "…But I'll take the hand-wave explanation since it seems like it worked out."

But there was one more question on the unlucky Kamijou's mind.

"…Since you're back here though, after visiting Academy City… are you… ok?" Touma asked carefully, not trying to step over his words.

The sullen girl eyed the unlucky Kamijou for a few moments before replied.

And did so with a smile.

"It'll be a long road… the medicine is horrible and I'll likely have to stay hooked up to EDEN for a long time before any of my memories can be offloaded back into my brain… but according to that doctor of yours…"

"Then… everything's going to be ok?" Touma asked, receiving a nod from the normally sullen girl, causing the unlucky Kamijou to let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god… not going to lie; I was worried that he wouldn't be able to fix it… that Heaven Canceller is amazing…"

"How do you think I felt heading there with no guarantees other than word of mouth?" Keisuke shivered a little.

"But it worked out… and it looks like all you're missing is one crew member and you're good to go, right?" Touma asked.

"More or less… snap Ryuji out of his funk and we're all good to go." Chitose replied. "Some questions about the legality of what he's been up to… buuuuuut we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. It'd sure be a shame if all the evidence they had stacked against him suddenly vanished, right?"

"…Hackers are terrifying. Words can't describe how much I'm looking forward to returning to my normal life." Touma sighed. "Still… seems like things will work out if you play your cards right."

"Yeah… thanks to you, anyway." Keisuke stated.

"I didn't do anything," Touma shook his head. "Only thing I did was put you in the right direction… everything has been up to you guys since the start. Giving some information is the best I could do."

"But still… thank you; it was worth a lot to us…" The Hudie hacker repeated. "…When Ryuji snaps out of it, maybe we can help you with what you have going on."

"Thanks, but-"

"Plus when everyone gets a clean bill of health, we'll have to party before you head back home too." Chitose interrupted. "And before you ask, no, you can't refuse."

"We… help our friends. It's how Hudie works, understand?" Erika added.

"…Even if poor little ol' me can't pay the going rate for top-class hackers?" Touma rubbed his neck.

"It's on us. If you want it official, I'm sure we can convince the big guy to put it in writing when everything's all cleared up." Chitose replied.

"Well… I…" Touma trailed off, taking a moment to think of what to say. "…Thanks… but before any of that, you have to save him, don't you?"

"That's our next adventure." Chitose replied. "First we got to find him… and I should be getting back to the hospital…"

"Not fully released yet, huh?"

"Nah… nearly a month of no physical activity… doctors are worried about that kind of stuff…" The blond crossed his arms. "…Though I've definitely had better days, so maybe they are right. It'll be a while before I'm myself again…"

"Well, don't let me keep you. You go do what you have to do. Both of us have things to do." Touma pushed himself up.

"We'll do our best if you do yours." Keisuke replied. "Just try to keep yourself out of the hospital, alright? I head a story or two from your doctor."

"Haha… I try that but… life is life, you know…" Touma sheepishly turned away, fully knowing what was likely going to happen.

With that, the Hudie crew left the hotel with their own task at hand to sort out. Part of the unlucky Kamijou wanted to join them, but he had to pull himself back.

That was not a battle for him to fight, even if he wanted to.

He took the elevator back up to the suite Birdway purchased, taking his time as he approached the door. The blonde cabal boss in question had returned to their room, likely with pizza-goodness in hand.

As Touma reached for the door however, his phone went off.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hey, Kamijou-san!" The chipper voice of one Aiba Ami rang through his phone. "Long time no see!"

"Aiba-san?" Touma blinked. "What's up? Figured you'd be busy handling all that Royal Knight stuff."

"Well… yeah; we're getting ready for the final phase, I think." Ami replied. "Figured out what their plan is… Leopardmon is trying to use the numerous digital networks in Tokyo to try and forcefully digivolve himself."

"Forced digivolution… haven't heard that term in a while… though a digimon doing it is new." Touma replied. "So… forcefully digivolve himself to gain a power boost to use, huh?"

"He plans to wipe out the human world and the Eaters in one fell swoop, to be honest." Ami sighed. "Chances of it working is pretty low on top of the destruction…"

"Nasty stuff… but you're getting ready? Got everything you need?" Touma asked.

"Yeah… I think. Got the allies we could get… working on the set-up to stop Leopardmon… it's just been stressful I guess." Ami replied. "First have to stop the big digimon… then have to find a way to stem the flow of Eaters that made their way into Tokyo… not to mention resolving that whole crisis in of itself…"

"Sounds rough… we're still on the hunt for Samson over here. He stole that black cube thing in the middle of Under Zero, and what he intends to do with it is a mystery I don't want to find out." The spiky haired teen sighed. "For all I know he truly lost it and his ideal paradise became a desolate wasteland and intends to turn that cube into some kind of cross-dimensional bomb capable wiping out all life across time and space…"

"Heh… is the world of magic always that rough?"

"You have no idea. It doesn't help that every chaotic end-of-the-world scenario finds itself on my front door. Such misfortune."

He could hear the Cyber Sleuth laugh on the other side of the line for a brief moment.

"At least there's never a dull moment." Ami said.

"Believe me; living as a poor high school student barely scraping by and trying to feed a bottomless pit of a nun is all the excitement I need. If some deity out there feels I need more, I'll kick his ass." Touma grumbled. He could hear the girl laughing again for a moment or two before she spoke up once more.

"Well, there's only one more loose end for you to wrap up, right?"

"Yeah, and the sooner it's done the better… guess in that case I'd be leaving things up to you when it comes to wrapping up this Eater business." Touma stated.

"We'll figure something out…" Ami replied. "Honestly… I'm tempted to ask if you'd like to come with me… but I figured you already have your hands full."

"Yeah… sorry," Touma sighed. "If Samson suddenly popped up so we could take him out overnight, it might be an option but… it's just too hard to say what will happen right now."

"That's fine; I don't want to drag you into more trouble anyway." Ami smiled from the other end. "I guess… I'm just a little freaked out as to what will happen next. I mean… stopping the world from being destroyed… Arata has gone a little crazy too… and putting an end to an entire race of monsters born to eat and devour everything… it's a tall order."

"Well… I know what you mean… I was involved with that whole World War Three fiasco up in Russia, you know." Touma spoke.

"Really?"

"Yup; punched the guy who started it in the face too."

"Ok, now I feel like you're messing with me."

"Believe whatever you want." Touma waved her off. "But… the entire time… it felt like I was an ant fighting the sun… but all I could do was push forward, even if it seemed impossible. I can't tell you what happens next… but I can tell you what happens if you stand still because you're scared. It'll be a hard fight to win… but you have people to keep safe, right? People you want to see again after all this is over?"

"Yeah…"

"Then all you can do is give it everything you got. If not for the sake of the world, then those few people you want to see the smiles of." Touma finished.

"…You do these pep talks often?" Ami asked.

"Most of the time is prior to punching someone in the face, but I like to think that sometimes a few words of encouragement is all someone needs." The spiky haired teen answered with a nod, not that the Cyber Sleuth could see it.

"Sometimes listening to you is like hearing about an entirely different world…" Ami stated. "…But after all I've been through these past few months or so, it also kind of feels like I have someone who understands it all too. Here's to hoping that we both can return to our normal lives soon! Hope you don't mind, but I'm going to show you up on your Russian war exploits!"

"Then go and save the world; the rest of us normal folk will be waiting for you to make your way back safely." Touma smiled.

"You better be; when I'm done, I'll be giving you the full Tokyo life-style experience before you head home!" Ami cheerfully replied. "I should get back. We might not be shooting for another few days, but that doesn't mean I can slack off. See you later, Kamijou-san!"

She hung up after that. Touma couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm; those Cyber Sleuths really were something else.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, and turned back to the door to find it locked. This was normal however, as it was a hotel normally requiring a key or some kind of card to open, locking automatically when closed.

When he checked his pockets though, he couldn't find anything resembling what he needed.

"C-crap… I left my room key inside, didn't I!?" Touma stammered as he began to pound on the door. "H-hey! Birdway!? Index!? Othinus!? Can anyone open up in there!? I left my key inside! Hello!?" He received no reply from inside, but shortly after he received a text on his phone from the blonde cabal boss.

It read, "Serves you right for ditching me using pizza as a distraction, asshole."

Touma could only put his back to the door and slide down into a sitting position; he was stuck outside until Mark returned from whatever errand Birdway sent him on.

"…Such misfortune."

 **-Three Days Later-**

They finally had something of a lead. The one who managed to pick up a trail was Hiraku, who was investigating solo to avoid tipping off Samson. The only detail he could provide was that the former cabal boss was deep inside Under Kowloon, but anything beyond that was unknown as the wind mage went radio silent to avoid detection.

Other than that, the past few days had been mostly uneventful. He hadn't heard back from any of the Hudie crew, and could only assume they were still on Ryuji's trail. On the other end, he received a short text from Ami and her friends, saying that they have a solution to the Eater threat and are going to the very origin of digimon to take care of it; the Digital World.

That was just about an hour ago. He didn't know how they were pulling this off or what the plan was, but the best he could do was wish them luck. At least things appeared to be resolved with Arata's situation that the Cyber Sleuth briefly mentioned, since he received a heads up from him too.

He sent replies, but it appeared that they had left shortly after, as he had yet to hear back from them. Even if he wanted to go, he had no idea how to catch up with them, so all he could do was hope for their safe return.

The hotel suite was empty at the moment, save for the unlucky Kamijou and Index. Birdway was following another possible lead. With Mark also joining her and Hiraku up and about, Touma was left alone with the silver-haired nun.

Well… almost.

"This is what I dislike about investigative operations; so much waiting to hear back from people." Othinus sat on the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder.

"Not much else to do but kill time…" Touma sighed. "…You know, I haven't really explored this floor yet… think we could find a vending machine for a drink? Birdway's weird mixed stuff can only be satisfying for so long…"

"…I want something grape flavored." Othinus stated.

"Strawberry for me if you find anything please!" Index called out. She was parked in front of the TV, but perked up at the mention of some refreshments.

"Fine by me I guess. Let's see what we can find." Touma grabbed his phone and wallet, taking special care to grab his room key this time, and made it for the door, opening it with gusto.

Only to find someone getting ready to knock at the door.

"Eh…?" Touma blinked. "Misaka…?"

"Y-you were on this floor after all!?" Mikoto stuttered out.

"W-what did you do!? Search every other floor besides this one!?" Touma shouted.

"…Kind of. The clerk saw you but refused to give us a room number, so…" Mikoto trailed off before abruptly shaking her head and getting in the unlucky Kamijou's face. "What the hell happened to you!? All we see of you is a shot of you on the news and not so much as a peep from you!"

"I-I was on the news!?" Touma stammered. "N-never mind that, what are you doing here!?"

"I hear screaming, did you find him?" A third voice called from an open door down the hall. After a moment, one Hamazura Shiage stuck his head out from the room.

"D-did you break in there!? A-and other rooms too!?" Touma shouted.

"Only on the ones we don't get responses from… give us some credit." Hamazura blinked before turning back into his room. "Hey, Accelerator; the railgun found him."

"A-Accelerator is here too!?" The spiky haired teen yelled in utter disbelief. Sure enough, the number one level 5 stepped out from the room he and Hamazura were apparently raiding.

"…In the high roller suites?" Accelerator clicked his teeth. "Who the fuck kidnapped you? No way you have the cash for this, and even if you did I doubt you'd live long enough to fucking use it."

"…Birdway."

There was a short silence in the hall.

"…You know, we can complain that he didn't contact anyone, but can we at least agree that it makes sense why he didn't?" Hamazura sighed.

"…As much as it pisses me off." Mikoto grumbled.

"Fucking hell…" Accelerator cursed.

"Y-you all have a low opinion of her, don't you?" Touma laughed nervously. "But seriously… what are you all doing here?"

"Looking for you and wondering what the hell is happening." Hamazura answered. "It isn't like you to take special trips out of town unless you have a good reason, you know."

"Wasn't expecting kidnapping though." Accelerator commented.

"…I'm going to guess that you three aren't going back without me." Touma blinked.

"Hurry up and let us in; these hallways are cold." Mikoto ordered.

Touma sighed and stepped back, letting the three into the deluxe suite. Index initially appeared angry at the sudden appearance of the railgun, but calmed down after seeing the other two with her.

"So… what's going on? And where is the little blonde monster now?" Hamazura asked as he looked around the room.

"Following a lead, and so is another guy we're working with." Touma stated, taking a seat. "Been a busy week or two… but hopefully it'll be over soon."

"Are you still chasing after that guy? The one from Under Zero?" Mikoto questioned.

"Yeah; since you brought up that server, do you remember that big black cube in the middle? Turns out Samson decided to steal the damn thing." Touma sighed.

"He… stole it? Why? What can he even do with it?" The brown haired girl sat down with her arms crossed.

"No idea, and we've all basically agreed that none of us want to find out either." The spiky haired teen replied. "And he's been using this whole mess as a cover so he could get away with it… so it's up to us to put a stop to it."

"How do you intend to find him? He fuck up or something?" Accelerator asked.

"That cube had a distinct signature of a different digimon; one that's one of a kind." Touma answered. "So with only two trails to follow, it should make picking him out easy."

"So… what; beat the shit out of this jackass then head home?" Hamazura asked.

"That's the plan anyway… though you guys didn't have to come all this way; could have just called you know." The unlucky Kamijou shrugged.

"Knowing you, if you knew we were on our way, you'd actively try to avoid us to try and keep us out of harm's way." Mikoto replied.

"H-haha… am I that predictable…?" Touma rubbed his neck nervously.

"Touma; you jump in head first into conflict without asking for help, thinking that you're doing us a favor, but it ends up worrying everyone around you." Index joined the conversation with a frown.

"Nun's right boss; you aren't so insignificant to us that we can just discard you for our own convenience you know." Hamazura added. "I mean fuck; I could be resting beautifully in my girlfriend's bountiful chest if it wasn't for you running off into danger all the time… asshole…"

Mikoto twitched lightly as Accelerator grumbled.

"Alright, alright, point taken… sorry for… being kidnapped and not saying anything. My bad." Touma held up his hands, surrendering. "I just would rather be the one to suffer than you guys, that's all…"

"And that's how we feel towards you, idiot." Mikoto sighed. "Hell, did you know that it was Accelerator who set all this up?"

"…Accelerator did?" Touma blinked.

"Couldn't keep your fucking mouth shut, could you, third rate…?" The white haired esper growled.

"As if we're going to keep quiet about the "One Way Road," calling us and crying, "Help, my friend is in trouble!" That's the kind of crap you can't make up." Hamazura joked.

"You want to die you piece of shit?" Accelerator glared.

"Go ahead, bring it. By the time you lift your hand to the switch on your neck, I'll blow your god damn fingers off." Hamazura retorted, dropping the fact he had a gun on him rather casually.

"…Please don't try to kill each other in my hotel room." Touma pleaded.

"Never a dull moment…" The surprisingly quiet Othinus spoke up after hearing the full exchange.

As the exchange appeared to heat up, Touma's phone began to ring.

"Yes? Kamijou-chan speaking?" He answered.

"Hey; it's me." Birdway's voice rang through the phone line. "Trail I followed lead me to the actual Arkadimon… I think…"

"You think?" Touma raised an eyebrow.

"It's changed a lot; rose out of the god damn water by this bridge like it was some giant monster movie, and now it's just hovering next to it looking like it's going to tear it in half any second. Doesn't look a lick like Kimeramon so it's safe to assume is Arkadimon." Leivinia replied.

"…Is anyone doing anything about it?" Touma asked. He feared that the situation with Ryuji went south.

"I think? Saw some digimon pop up to throw down with it. Don't know any more; I'm moving away from it since it's not our mark." The blonde cabal boss replied.

Touma frowned. As much as he'd like to help, he had his own job to do. They couldn't let the opportunity to trap Samson slip through their fingers.

"…That means Hiraku's trail is the right one then?" Touma asked.

"That's right… hold on; he's trying to get through. I'll add him to the call." Leivinia stated before a third voice entered the conversation.

"Hey, how we holding up?" Hiraku asked. There was a little digitalization to his voice; he was likely calling from within EDEN.

"My trail went cold, how about yours?" Leivinia replied.

"Jackpot. Samson is in Under Kowloon level five." Hiraku stated. "Even managed to see him, and the trail I'm following leads right to the end of the area."

"Chance of escape?" The blonde cabal boss sounded serious.

"If he has anything set-up, he sure as shit is hiding it really well. I can't feel or see anything in the server to indicate a plan b; looks like it's do or die time for him." The wind mage commented. "Area feels weird… not a soul in sight. Something is definitely not right here."

"So… escape isn't even an option for him now… then whatever plot he has going must be in its final stage." Leivinia stated. "I'm finding a place to log in and will have Mark stand guard. Kamijou; get down here when you can."

"Right; I'm on my way." Touma closed his phone.

"One of your contacts find something?" Mikoto asked.

"More like someone. Even have a visual confirmation." Touma stood up.

"Cool; so we're we headed?" Hamazura put his hands into his pockets.

"…Chances of me saying I can handle it alone working?" Touma laughed nervously.

"Touma." Index pouted. Seemed like she was wanting to come along too.

"Right, right… dumb question…" Touma sighed. "Well… hope you're ready. We're heading into the depths of EDEN. Under Kowloon, level five. Bottom floor, if it wasn't already obvious."

"Perfect place to serve as a grave." Accelerator grinned lightly.

"Awesome; let's beat the shit of him and head home. I miss my cute girlfriend." Hamazura stated.

"It goes without saying, but if you're lying to us about the location, I'm frying everything electrical you own." Mikoto sparked lightly.

"I'll bite you all over if you're lying, Touma." Index remarked, showing her fangs.

"Don't have to tell me twice…" Touma sighed. "Well, let's put an end to this once and for all."

All five entered EDEN, bound for the lowest floor Kowloon had to offer, each one eager to put an end to the charade.

Samson Ainsworth's end was nigh.

* * *

 **And here we are at the bottom once again. As said, the Kamijou Faction has arrived, and a showdown with Samson is coming.**

 **Chapter 18 will be the end of the Kamijou Touma "Route," but as stated above, not the end of the story.**

 **We have a super-secret unlock for "clearing" all 3 routes to get to... (Not actually in the games, but one in this story, sorry for confusion)**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	18. His Ending

**And here we are again! Chapter 18!**

 **Not going to say too much this time; just going to dive into the reviews and then we can hit it!**

 _whwsms:_ It has arrived... and chaos shall reign!

 _MarkGib:_ Thanks for information on translations! I know I could sit down and watch it... but on the other hand, I also really want to play it! If I get super motivated to do something with Fate/Extra CCC though... I guess I'll have to do what I have to do!

 _Mr. X:_ He didn't though; he only threatened him. As for the endgame, it depends on what you want; if you want Touma to be the main aggressor to win the day... we'll see. If you suddenly want him to become super strong and one-shot everything in sight to the point it makes everyone else in the story irrelevant... yeah, that's not happening; this isn't that kind of story. I was only continuing the debate because you didn't want to drop it, my dude. If you don't wanna talk about it, then don't talk about it; sorry for having differing opinions. You really want me to turn this story into a Harem fic, don't you?

 _MrQuestionMark:_ If you are interested, both games are on the PlayStation 4, at least here in the west. The endgame has arrived for this route... and these three really do value our unlucky Kamijou, huh? Birdway will always be Birdway, after all! Well, you know what they say: The end is never the end!

 _ScytheMasterX:_ Possibly, but you have to remember; the room was down in Birdway's name, not Touma's.

 _Stitches:_ The day Touma can actually relax is the day the sun goes out. That is a bit of a fun theory... they do have matching hair-color, and its especially noticeably on Aleis-Tan. Those three do care about Touma an awful lot, even if they don't always show it, you know? And yeah... Touma's preference to go into things alone is as prevalent as ever.

 _WiliamZ0:_ You'll see what I mean, I think. I hope you like it.

 **With that done... I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Holy crap… when he said empty, he wasn't kidding…" Touma stated. He had just arrived with his four companions, Mikoto, Accelerator, Hamazura, and Index. Calumon almost immediately spawned into the silver haired nun's arms when they arrived in EDEN. From there, they made their way to Under Kowloon and started their descent as fast as they could.

Just as Hiraku previously stated, the whole floor was a ghost town. It wasn't just devoid of human life either; despite the higher floors still containing a healthy digimon population, on the fifth they were completely absent.

"…This place is kind of freaky without anyone else around… god damn…" Hamazura commented.

"Touma; are you sure this is the place?" Index asked.

"Fukutsuwa-san said Under Kowloon level 5… back of the area… so we just follow the path until we find him I guess…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"Then let's fucking go; been here before, it's not that far." Accelerator began to march ahead. The rest followed, as there was little to stop their advance. Reaching the second zone, there appeared to be digital traps spread around, but the most they did was teleport whoever was sad enough to be caught to the entrance of the zone.

Luckily, Mikoto's perception of electrons due to being an electro-master proved very useful in detecting these pitfalls, but…

"All of this… feels very weird to me." Mikoto commented.

"How so? See something weird?" Hamazura asked.

"These traps… they feel like natural programming rather than last minute alterations. Most of these were already here." The railgun replied. "…But even more so, I'm seeing weird things in the data streams around here. I can't put my finger on it, but everything seems… off. It's hard to describe, but the deeper we go, the worse it gets…"

"…Think whatever this Samson guy is doing could be corrupting the server?" Hamazura mused. "These pits can be explained away by this being an old hideout of some gang who owned this turf, but the other stuff leads me to that conclusion."

"It could be anything… hey; I think I see Fukutsuwa-san up ahead." Touma called out. A little ways down, near the entrance to the next zone, two people could be seen standing, one much taller than the other.

A quick investigation revealed them to be Hiraku and Leivinia Birdway, standing as if they were waiting.

"…Hey, about time you got here." Leivinia spoke. "Though… I wasn't expecting the entourage. What's up with that?"

"Turns out I made my prime-time news debut…" Touma sighed. "They saw and came after me."

"And we're not going anywhere, so get on with it Birdway." Index added.

"You make it sound like I'm complaining." The blonde cabal boss shrugged. "Might be overkill for taking him down, but what the hell? Easier dealing with the jackass this way. Stiyl is on his way I think; something holding him up on his end."

"That being said, I came back to meet up with you guys, met the lil' lady here in the process, but during that… a problem cropped up." Hiraku gripped the tip of his general hat. "Come on; I'll show you."

"…You're our fucking contact now? What the fuck is this shit-show?" Accelerator frowned. "Sure has been awhile since you got your shit pushed in, huh?"

"Hey; fuck you! Times change, asshole! You want information or not!?" Hiraku fired back.

"…No fighting right before the final confrontation please." Touma spoke up.

The two males, glaring at one another, eventually broke eye contact with a sneer. Hiraku then led them to the next area, only to find it filled to the brim with Eaters… however, they were all behaving strangely. Each one was looking around, as if searching for something, but the real oddity was in their movement. Each one appeared to be "skipping" in their animation cycles, like a corrupted video. A few ones that were more mobile demonstrated this, as they moved the suddenly jumped ahead in their path after random pauses, as if the server had trouble loading their movements.

"So… lots of enemies… but what the hell is wrong with them?" Touma asked.

"That's what I want to know too." Hiraku spoke up. "Been like this for a while, and every now and then a new one pops up; it's safe to say these things are probably on the entire path… but the kicker? These aren't supposed to be here at all."

"They're… not?" Mikoto blinked.

"Nope; I keep getting news and video reports of all these things flying up into the sky, towards that point where the rift opened up to let all the digimon through; each one was doing it and left most of the whole city free of the bastards, so these things being here is an abnormality among abnormalities." Hiraku finished.

"…Either way, we have to carve through the fuckers, right?" Accelerator stated.

"Yeah... it's not like beating these things is going to be hard for anyone here…" Touma rubbed his neck.

However, one of the black and white tentacle monsters appeared to notice the group and began wandering closer. As it did, the skipping grew worse and the Eater's form began to radically change.

It transformed into Kimeramon, just like the few who had before.

"…Oh I get it. A farm of the piece of shit so it can body hop." Hiraku smiled lightly. "That makes sense; all these guys must be hacked. Would explain why they're so messed up."

"Care to do the honors then? We have a tight schedule." Leivinia asked.

"Right-o!" Hiraku grinned. "Leave it to me; mess him up, GranKuwagamon!" He called out, summoning his faithful insectoid companion. GranKuwagamon appeared larger than the composite digimon, and it showed as the fight was settled rather quickly.

The opposing Kimeramon roared loudly, preparing a **Heat Viper** attack. However, GranKuwagamon caught the monster in its pincers and ended it with one decisive **Dimension Scissors** attack, cleaving the composite digimon in half. The two pieces briefly reverted to that of a normal Eater before vanishing, the monster vanquished.

"Looks like without that Under Zero cube, he is a lot weaker; no way something like that could compete with that Arkadimon we had to handle." Hiraku started.

"I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but that thing's death wails caught us some unwanted attention." Hamazura stated. Several of the glitched-out Eaters began to gather around the group, though they very much still had the option to backtrack out of the zone if they wished.

"Feh… we weren't going for the stealth option anyway when it came to these things. Them all coming forward makes things easier for us, you know!" The wind mage replied.

"Doesn't exactly mean bringing them all over to us was a good idea you moron!" Mikoto shouted, sparks emitting from her bangs.

"H-hey wait, something weird is going on with them!" Index called out. As she did, another one of the Eaters transformed into Kimeramon.

And so did another.

And another.

And another.

"T-they're multiplying!?" Hiraku shouted.

"Kamijou; I thought this Kimeramon could only possess one Eater at a time!" Leivinia growled.

"I-I thought it only could! It's never gone into a swarm like this!" Touma fired back.

"Kimeramon… a digimon whose existence is similar to that of a curse." Calumon spoke up after being quiet for so long. "It is the definition of vengeance of the dead, comprised of multiple digimon pieces of doomed and does not exist normally in nature, so it's persistence of coming back each time and somehow maintaining itself within the Eater network to survive makes sense… but multiplying itself…?"

"So what you're saying is that this is a major problem without an explanation, huh?" Touma questioned. "Damn… this must be Samson's doing; multiplying these things…!"

"...I don't think that Stiyl will be able to make it here before we have to move… at this rate…!" Leivinia frowned.

Still more continued to convert, and more glitched-out Eaters began to spawn in and approach, slowly transforming over time.

However…

"Tch… what a pain in the ass…" Accelerator grunted as he stepped forward. "Hey you two; get out here. We have a clean-up job to do." At his word, his Darkdramon and RustTyranomon spawned into the server, looking more than eager for a fight.

"What's the game plan, Accelerator?" Touma asked.

"I kick the shit out of these things and you all make it on ahead while I hold their attention. Pretty self-explanatory, I think." The number one esper replied.

"Think you can rock this game solo huh? If even one of these things get a whiff of that network of yours, they'll be all over it trying to intercept the signal. You'll be fucked if that happens… you sure you want the "hold the line" job?" Hiraku commented.

"…Want some extra assurance then?" Accelerator asked in an annoyed tone. "Fine; number three. Get out here and show yourself off a little bit."

A third digimon appeared behind the number one esper, a humanoid one with an imposing visage. It's was decorated in pitch black armor with parts of gold, several sections appearing with functioning mouths with gold razor sharp teeth, particularly its large and heavy looking shoulder plates. Its eyes were blood red, clearly visible despite its black helmet with gold decorations, and its streamlined arms lead to hands that bore sharp golden claws and metallic grieves with spikes along the edges, aimed down. It had a long, segmented black tail that ended in a sharp tip, and finally it wore a long red cape, easily large enough to cover its person if it so wished.

The identity of this monstrous digimon was…

"P-Plutomon!?" Calumon stammered out. "T-the direct competition to Jupitermon, leader of the Olympus Twelve!?"

"…The one and only." The aptly named Plutomon stated, making a motion as if it were tipping an invisible hat. The addition of it being able to speak was just a small detail, but…

"Wait… only digimon Accelerator had that could speak was…" Touma blinked a few times.

"Yeah; little ankle biter ended up being worth a damn in the end." Accelerator mused.

"Don't say it like that! You picked me out because you saw the potential in me, didn't you!?" Plutomon retorted.

"…Dracmon grew up into that thing, huh?" Touma blinked.

"…This is a reminder that every digimon, even the great angels, royal knights and demon lords, were all rookie level digimon once…" Calumon added.

"I've had enough waiting around… Plutomon; make a path. Nice and wide." Accelerator ordered.

"You got it!" The dark digimon clasped its hands together briefly, black sparks of power emanating from its fingers for a short time before he pulled them apart, revealing a black river of power flowing from each palm. "You ready!? **Schwarz Strahl!"** It then thrust its arms forward, unleashing the energy as a condensed beam, burning through the Kimeramon army in front of the group.

None of those struck were able to survive under the attack's influence, each one reverting to an Eater before breaking apart entirely. More were still flowing into the server, but a notable decrease in their population was evident.

"There's your path again, so get the fuck moving! Darkdramon, RustTyranomon; make sure they reach the other side!" Accelerator called out.

Not wasting any time, the group charged ahead with Accelerator's other two digimon acting as escorts. Not wanting to be left out, Hiraku commanded GranKuwagamon to do the same, and the three took down any of the Kimeramon who dared to step into their path. However, most of them appeared to be more concerned with the powerful threat of Plutomon, focusing their efforts on the mighty digimon.

When the group reached the other side, Darkdramon and RustTyranomon broke off from the pack and turned around, determined to prevent any of the hoard from pursuing.

When the group had left the zone, a small smile broke out across Accelerator's face.

"About time… now we can really thin the herd now, can't we?" He stated.

"The bigger splash we make, the more attention we get. It definitely seems like these thugs are more of a security system rather than a moving force. The larger of a threat we seem, the more resources they'll dedicate to suppressing us." Plutomon replied.

"Then let's make a real nice big threat out of ourselves… use **Hellfire."** Accelerator ordered. At once, the various mouths across the dark digimon's body opened up wide, and a large surge of red-hot flames surged from each orifice, quickly expanding outward to incinerate the corrupted Kimeramon hoard in the fires of hell itself.

As Accelerator did everything he could to make himself as big of a target as possible, the group pressed on. The number of corrupted Eaters began to drop rather sharply as they progressed. Either security beyond that zone was seriously lacking or the number one esper's plan was working.

With their numbers now, the group could easily move ahead towards the end of Under Kowloon with little resistance.

"These things are weird… I think they're weaker than the normal Kimeramon; that thing could give mega level digimon some trouble despite being outclassed, but these things go down in one it by my GranKuwagamon." Hiraku stated.

"So… he forged himself an army based on quantity over quality?" Mikoto suggested.

"I doubt it was intentional; if he could make an army of monsters just as powerful as that thing, he definitely would. Either it's a restriction of time he's allotted or the equipment he's working with." Touma stated.

"…The possibility of a time constraint worries me. Let's hurry." Leivinia stated.

The group pressed on, eager to end this madness so they could all return to their normal lives.

The final zone was a more open area. Despite being smaller than the others were, there were fewer restrictions in movement. The zone ended suddenly, and gave a rather breathtaking view of a seemingly endless expanse of a digital landscape, with a giant pit in the center. They were at the absolute bottom of EDEN, or so it felt.

The zone was full of those corrupted Eaters, a few had already converted into Kimeramon, but the notable occupants were there all the same; Samson Ainsworth and the main Kimeramon. The former cabal boss had changed little, save for a small bit of disheveled appearance. Kimeramon however rested on all of its limbs with several big black and white Eater-like tendrils extended from its back into the air, wrapping around and being inserted into a large black cube; the very same one from Under Zero. The cube had a dim red glow to it

"Samson!" Hiraku suddenly called out, marching ahead. "What the hell is going on here you bastard!?"

"…Ah, so it was you who was trouncing around my domain like you owned the place." Samson greeted, turning around to face the group. "I suppose an audience can be good motivation to do my best; it would be horrible to fail now, and I'm at my best when under pressure, I've come to realize."

"Put a sock in it you dingbat!" Touma shouted. "What the hell is all this!? Why did you take that cube!?"

"Right to the point, I see… very well." Samson answered rather casual. "A conclusion arrived to me upon realizing that the cabal I raised with my own two hands had turned its back on me… that conclusion being that I have very few allies I could genuinely trust… and one of those is my partner right here; Kimeramon."

He rubbed the side of the composite digimon briefly.

"So… since he is that loyal, I decided I needed more like him if my path to paradise were to continue… and that lead me to the idea of, quite simply, having just more of him around! Makes sense, right?" Samson smiled briefly. "And he already had the perfect medium to do it; he already has the ability to survive and corrupt the Eater network… so; use the very catastrophe that humanity forged and ripped the digital world apart with and turn them all into our saviors!"

"So… this is all just a plot to corrupt the Eater network?" Touma asked.

"Yes! Now you understand! Force our predators into being our heroes and providers! Each Kimeramon is more than capable of possessing an Eater, so it's perfect!" Samson clapped his hands. "There is an issue of their quality of course, and unlike the main unit, these copy-Kimeramon can't survive having their host deleted, but they retain their loyalty, just like the original! I have been duplicating him for a while now… given enough time, I can convert the entire Eater network!"

"So that's why you took the cube?" Touma questioned.

"Of course! I needed something powerful to act as the machine to copy and infect the Eater network! The cube was the prison of that accursed Arkadimon, so I thought something capable of containing that monstrosity would be more than suitable! It needed some customization, yes, but as you can see, it is progressing smoothly!" Samson replied, his smile widening ever so slightly as he held out his arms. "With an army like this, forging paradise would be easy! No more risks to life either! Do you understand what this means!?"

There was a short silence in the area, the group being unsure of how to respond to Samson's ideology.

"…Man, talk about weird…" Hiraku stated. "These things eat people; honest to god eat people. I didn't think there'd be a way possible for anyone to make me feel sorry for these bastards, regardless of what could happen to them… but my god you found one."

The smiling former cabal boss tilted his head in apparent confusion.

"Do I need to spell it out? Forced into becoming one of these things… forced into becoming your slave? I'd know a thing or two about being just a piece in your psychotic game! I wouldn't wish that upon anyone!" Hiraku continued. "I'm actually not sure who I feel more sorry for; these monsters or Kimeramon who you're forcing into this!"

"B-but… I'm doing… great things… with this… I can…" Samson's smile slowly began to fade as he lowered his arms.

"I'm not sure when or how you became this twisted… but I'm putting a stop to it, you hear me!?" Hiraku shouted.

"He's right; how could we approve of something like this!?" Touma shouted. "If you've gone as far as to enslave these things, what's to stop you from just unleashing them on the people opposing you? You've already proven how violently you react when someone steps up and tells you no, and you think we're just going to let you have an army to support that cause!?"

"So… even with the perfect plan laid out before you… one that removes the risk to human life that you were so concerned with… you still reject it…?" Samson asked.

"Don't get me wrong; these Eater things are the pits… but enslaving their entire race? Heard some crazy-ass shit in my time, but this one takes the cake." Hamazura spoke up. "Don't know about you guys, but I'd rather just take these monsters down, not let them become minions of some demented asshole."

"And I thought he was a loon down in Under Zero…" Mikoto added.

"Shut up… all of you!" Samson shouted. "You don't understand my vision! I could never do it myself… A perfect flawless world… to make it I needed to do what I've done! To construct perfection… I need it. I need him! He can make it; I'm sure he can! We're already making so much progress! Once we have the Eater network under our control, we can-"

"Your vision of forcing your own desires on other people! Don't you think that spits in the face of those people who work hard for what they want just to have someone magic it all away just because they think differently!?" Touma shouted.

"Be quiet! I am done with your constant interfering just because you're too insignificant to understand my grand scope, just because you fail to understand what I'm trying to make!" Samson spat. "I've tried to appeal to you, I've tried! However, every time you raise your voice about the people, when they all should be glad that someone went out of their way to forge a perfect world for them! I'm done dealing with you; Titamon!"

The green giant digimon spawned right in front of the former cabal boss, letting out a roar before charging ahead and swinging its blade.

However, a set of hands caught the massive sword by slamming the palms of its hands together on both sides. Hands cloaked in flames that quickly began to spread to the bone sword itself.

It appeared to be a large humanoid lion digimon with long hair, acting as a mane. It was covered red and orange armor, only leaving the claws on its hands and feet exposed, and had chest hold a sun-like sphere on its back. Fire surged from similar spheres on the gauntlets as it held the large sword.

"And we've had enough of your crazy-ass bullshit! Mess that fucker up, Apollomon! **Phoebus Blow!"** Hamazura ordered. The aptly named Apollomon threw the sword to the side using all of its strength before slipping onto Titamon's guard with a flame-covered fist, driving it squarely into the green giant's face hard enough to send it flying through the air, landing on its back.

"So your lion cub grew up too, huh?" Touma joked.

"Someone has to make progress around here! If we don't, we can't pull your ass out of situations like this!" Hamazura grinned.

"In that case…!" Samson held out his hand. The remaining corrupted Eaters suddenly began to undergo a mass transformation, resulting in multiple Kimeramon entities. They began to march ahead, each one roaring violently as they prepared their respective attack.

"Oh no you don't!" Mikoto began to spark before unleashing a wave of electricity through the floor, stunning them in mass. During the paralysis, her QueenChessmon appeared jumping down, using the monster's sudden immobility to its advantage and striking them down with her **Grand Cricket** mallet.

"You sure you can keep those things pacified, little miss railgun?" Leivinia grinned.

"Shut up and do something while I keep them busy! Do you think I can hold them off forever!?" Mikoto fired back.

"As if I wasn't already thinking that…! Go, Goldramon!" Leivinia ordered. The golden dragon appeared in the air, flying toward Samson to strike him directly while his guard was open with a powerful punch, but the blow was met with the shield of ChaosGallantmon. Goldramon backed up quickly in anticipation of the dark knight's counter attack, **Judecca Prison,** unleashing a massive wave of energy from its shield. Goldramon matched this attack with **God Flame** , crashing its holy fire into ChaosGallantmon's unholy assault.

"Honest question… Birdway, do you think you can hold that guy off?" Touma asked.

"Beats the hell out of me; why?" Leivinia replied.

"Because the bastard in front of us is running out of self-defense options, that's why." Touma answered. The blonde cabal boss eyed Samson for a bit, eventually frowning.

"…Alright fine; I'll help keep his minions in check. Just be sure to take him down!" Leivinia ordered.

"We doing this!?" Hiraku shouted, running up beside the unlucky Kamijou.

"That's the idea! He either pulls Kimeramon out from its positon or gets his ass kicked!" Touma replied.

"You assume that him using that monstrosity will change whether or not he gets a beating! Heh!" Hiraku fired back. "Ready whenever you are, boyo!"

"Touma!" The unlucky Kamijou was prepared to run ahead when the silver haired nun called out to him. The two exchanged looks for a time before she spoke once more. "…Stay safe, ok?"

"…You got it! I'll be relying on you to analyze his magic if he uses it!" The spiky haired teen replied.

"Don't worry about a thing; leave it to me, Touma!" Index called out. Touma nodded, and promptly dashed ahead with Hiraku not far behind with his GranKuwagamon.

Samson grit his teeth as his eyes twitched with anger. With his fists held tight, he suddenly called out to his partner.

"Kimeramon! These fools intend to hamper our efforts to save the people this wretched world from their own personal hell! Aid me in purging these fools from our dreams of paradise!" He snarled. Kimeramon roared out in kind as the Eater-like tendrils began to pull the black cube down towards its body, eventually absorbing it as its back closed up. The surge of data caused Kimeramon's body to swell as it roared loudly.

GranKuwagamon charged ahead, aiming to capture the monster with its pincers, much like others. However, the boost of power from absorbing the cube appeared to be much too large, as Kimeramon was able to hold open the insectoid digimon's mandibles with relative ease. It prepared to unleash a **Heat Viper** blast from its mouth, but a flaming iron ball slammed into the gathering energy before it could discharge, causing it to explode in Kimeramon's face.

DoruGreymon, who had appeared during the insectoid digimon's moment of peril and released the attack, flew under the composite digimon's guard as it dealt with the sudden explosion, releasing GranKuwagamon in the process. DoruGreymon stabbed its horn right into Kimeramon's stomach, causing the monster to howl in pain as the large beast digimon dug in further and further, only for Kimeramon to grab ahold of DoruGreymon and throw him into GranKuwagamon, who was returning for a follow up attack.

Down below, with their partner digimon each tending to keeping Kimeramon busy, Touma and Hiraku fought with Samson directly.

"Really? Is that the best you can do?" Samson laughed as he danced around Hiraku's close-ranged strikes. The wind mage kept himself close, throwing punch after punch, only for each one to just barely miss their mark.

"Talk, talk, talk, TALK! Is that all you're good for anymore!?" Hiraku shouted.

"Much more than that if you found this out only now… especially how you're trying to keep an offensive front as a cover for the Imagine Breaker!" Samson fired back.

Hiraku's body tensed up as he saw the former cabal boss' right arm go limp before suddenly vanishing in a flash of light.

"Kamijou! Be careful!" He shouted. Touma, who was running for Samson's right flank, slid to a stop at the wind mage's warning. He managed to notice a flash of purple light above him as lightning struck. The unlucky Kamijou managed to raise his right hand fast enough to block the magical electricity, but at the cost of halting his advance. When he turned his attention back to Samson, his eyes were met with Hiraku flying through the air backward, slamming straight into the unlucky Kamijou and causing the duo to roll across the floor.

"Son of a…!" Hiraku climbed to his feet and began unleashing blasts of wind toward the former cabal boss, only for him to dodge each strike. He began to notice the floor slowly begin to deteriorate and Samson's arm begin to reform as he moved; he was healing himself again.

"Come now… it is unbecoming of a man to throw a tantrum because he met his superior!" Samson taunted.

"Says the jackass who whines and cries every time something bad happens to him…!" Touma fired back, climbing back up. The smile vanished from the crazed magician's face as it twisted in anger. Kimeramon landed behind Samson with a loud crash, and looked ready to join on his master's fight. The former cabal boss turned briefly to his companion before his grin returned once more.

"I don't need your approval with how I carry myself; all of mankind is prone to fits of rage when frustrated and I'm not afraid to admit that I do so frequently…" He stated. "…But it is what I do with that anger and frustration that sets us apart from the rest! My ideals guide my hand and have led me to this point… and now I have everything I need, with the only exception being time! With Kimeramon and I, the perfect paradise I dream of is right around the corner!"

He began to laugh to himself as Kimeramon prepared another **Heat Viper** , this time with its hands aimed toward the two. The duo's partner digimon had been thrown aside, and although they were on their way back, they were far from being able to intercept the attack.

"…That's all well and good, honestly." Touma replied as he stood back up. "People able to make something constructive out of their anger is a good skill… but when it involved tearing down the world just because you don't like it…!"

"Fool; nothing can stop our combination! First I shall rid myself of you, and then the pests who you lead here!" Samson shouted.

"You're forgetting something really important, you son of a bitch…!" Touma grit his teeth. "…And that's we're not the only ones fighting!"

Samson's confident smirk vanished as he heard something strike his Kimeramon. Looking up, he saw a thick orange beam smash into the composite digimon's head, the shock canceling out the attack the monster was readying.

The large iron ball had previously flown off after intercepting Kimeramon's first **Heat Viper** , had been fired off as a railgun.

"Take him down, Kamijou!" Mikoto shouted, briefly diverting her attention from crowd control to lend a hand.

As Kimeramon turned its attention towards the railgun, two waves of fire, one red and one gold, slammed into both sides of the composite monster, forcing it back. Both Apollomon and Goldramon, despite having their own opponents, shifted their attention to attacking Kimeramon, each one taking powerful blows from their respective foes in order to do so.

"You got this boss; you can do it!" Hamazura yelled.

"Put that freak of nature into the ground!" Leivinia cried.

"Insolent little…!" Samson held out his hand towards the three, preparing some kind of spell, only for a sudden blast of wind to strike and slice off the former cabal boss' arm.

"Pay closer attention to who you're fighting you bastard!" Hiraku bellowed, even as Samson's severed limb began to regenerate.

Index watched on, taking careful analysis of Samson's magic. All the while, Calumon rested in the nun's arms.

"Even when they are in danger… they're all supporting him…" Calumon commented.

"That's the kind of person Touma is… he might run off on his own but… he has plenty of people looking out for him." Index stated. Calumon looked on, watching the clash unfold.

For a moment, the little white digimon began to smile.

"…Index… I think I understand." Calumon stated.

"Understand what?" The silver haired nun asked curiously.

"…The reason why I was sent here." The little digimon answered. "It was reactionary… like I said… not to stop something from happening… but to end something after it had already occurred…!"

"What do you- C-Calumon! Where are you going!?" Index cried out at the little white digimon began to run towards the battlefield.

"That thing… that monster was created, and it threatens everyone and everything by holding the capability of enslaving and using the most dangerous creatures to exist…" Calumon spoke. "So… so the thing that needs to be reacted to… the monster that needs to be vanished… must be this!"

So the little Calumon decided; Kimeramon must be his target. However, such a monster was too powerful to slay on its own… but the little white digimon knew of something that very well might be powerful enough to silence it.

A dragon.

"Talk all you want, my Kimeramon is invincible as he is now!" Samson shouted as Kimeramon engaged DoruGreymon and GranKuwagamon, harshly throwing them back once more. Hiraku came at the former cabal boss from his left side, but his assault was intercepted before he was suddenly kicked in the stomach to force him back.

"Is that how you justify this? "I made an immortal monster so clearly I'm in the right?" Just how lost are you!?" Touma spat.

DoruGreymon landed on his stomach, gritting his teeth as he stood back up, ignoring his injuries. As he prepared to charge ahead again, he felt someone climbing up his furry side, distracting him. A turn of his long neck revealed Calumon gripping his red fur, trying to get higher.

"Urm… a l-little help please?" Calumon asked, causing DoruGreymon to tilt his head.

"This is not about justification you brat; this is a display that my logic is sound!" Samson replied. "That I'm doing the right thing… he is my key; my savior!"

"He's a monster stitched together by a madman!" Touma fired back. "I'm not sure who I feel sorry for more; him or you! Each time you open your mouth, it pisses me off even more!"

"…I'll try one more time to crack into that thick little skull of yours, Kamijou Touma." Samson spat. "My goal is to forge a perfect paradise for all… not just for me… but for my associates, the common people… and yes; even you. You cling to this world as if your life depends on it, when I have the power to make everything better! A perfect world without flaw! Even if not all can fully can understand it… that doesn't mean it doesn't benefit everyone! Surely you can understand the desire for a perfect world, don't you?"

Touma grit his teeth at Samson's speech, a feeling in his chest growing with each word, until he couldn't take it anymore.

"I've already seen the perfect world you bastard, and what you're envisioning doesn't even come close to it!" He screamed. "I saw it god damn it; I was there! Everyone was smiling, enjoying their lives… even the dead had been brought back! Everything blanketed in a golden shine from the sun to highlight it all; I saw the perfect world!"

Samson was suddenly taken aback.

"You… saw it…?" He blinked.

DoruGreymon nervously watched the scene unfold, occasionally looking back and forth from the little white digimon now sitting on his back.

"Everything has to be perfect for this…" Calumon stated. "For someone like you, I'll only be able to pull this off once, so the timing has to be right. Just keep your eyes ahead; you'll know what to do."

DoruGreymon frowned, turning back toward the scene in front of him.

"That's right… I was there; I lived it… and in the end, I threw it all away." Touma replied.

"You… threw it away…!?" Samson's face twisted in anger. "You miserable little ingrate; how could you! A perfect world and you just washed your hands of it like a stain… how could you do that to us!? To me!?"

"Because I'd have to die." Touma fired back. "That's all there is to it. I'd have to kill myself for the world to be perfect… I almost did to… but…"

"So you chose yourself over the world? You selfish little brat… what kind of hero do you think you are, standing in my way I as I move forward to correct that mistake of yours!?" Samson spat.

"I'm no hero; I'm a pretty selfish guy, you know?" Touma replied. "I'm here not because I have to be, but because I want to be… because your way of acting pissed me off, that's why! Who'd give someone like you control of someone's paradise!? You'd just twist it into something horrible, like the monster right behind you! They wanted to live, but you force them all together, despite having the ability to save them without it!"

Samson clicked his teeth.

"…I'm right, aren't I? You could have saved them, and yet you twisted them into a monster just to justify your own actions! Because it'd benefit you! I'm the selfish one!? You've been using your followers and even your own partners just to make a perfect world for yourself; you couldn't give a shit about the people you say you're trying to save!"

"Your words fail to excuse your own actions, Kamijou!" Samson barked. "You had it right in the palm of your hand! Perfection! Flawless existence! Something that humanity could only dream of… and you tossed it aside because you'd have to offer up something so insignificant as yourself!? How do you justify your actions against us all, Kamijou!?

"Fuck my own actions! If given the same choice, I'd throw it all away all over again! And you want to know why?" Touma shouted. Samson's eyes lit up like fire as he motioned his Kimeramon to attack the unlucky Kamijou.

DoruGreymon suddenly charged ahead with a howl, unable to wait anymore. As he did, he felt a surge of power course through him, coming from the Calumon on his back.

Who unfortunately lost its strength and let go of the large beast digimon.

"T-there… now… it's up to you…!" Calumon called out as it fell. Index quickly ran to catch the white digimon, but her gaze shifted due to a large glowing light.

"I'd toss it aside because if a perfect world causes people to suffer, even if it's just one person, the very idea of it being perfect is a god damn lie! It's an illusion to hide the real hell that such a world truly is! You think that you have the right to take away people's happiness just for your own!? I'll shatter that fucked up illusion of yours!"

Touma ran forward, ignoring the brilliant white light that had blanketed the area.

The one coming from his own partner.

The bright light slammed into Kimeramon with enough force to launch it across the server, landing with a loud thud.

"K-Kimeramon!" Samson shouted. In his worried state, he failed to focus on the unlucky Kamijou in front of him, and was promptly slugged across the face for it. Fearing a follow up, Samson unleashed a spell to propel himself backward with a shockwave. Touma grit his teeth, ready to chase after when something heavy landed behind him.

It was easily described as a humanoid dragon digimon. Covered in silver and purple plating, his arms and legs had several razor sharp protrusions at the joints of his limbs, each appendage also ending in bladed claws. It's long tail ended in sharp bladed tip, and its large and glorious metallic wings extended from its back. Its dragon-like jaw carried harsh teeth readily seen as it roared out loudly.

Touma's HUD updated as he looked at the digimon… his digimon.

"Dorugoramon…?" Touma blinked several times, trying to process it. His partner looked down for a moment before turning his attention back to Kimeramon, who was raising to its feet.

"Did… you do that, Calumon?" Index asked.

"H-hard to say…" Calumon, appearing exhausted, pushed itself up a little bit. "With emotions at a fever pitch like that… I think it was going to happen anyway… but since what digimon turn into can be fickle at the worst of times… I offered a little bit of help to make sure he turned out just right…!"

Dorugoramon stood just behind the unlucky Kamijou, readying its claws as Kimeramon stood up once more and roared.

"What are you waiting for!? Take that pest down, Kimeramon!" Samson ordered.

The composite digimon ran full speed ahead with its four arms outstretched. Dorugoramon leapt forward and slammed his own arms into Kimeramon's, the two locking hands as one tried to overpower the other. Kimeramon slammed its lower set of limbs into the dragon digimon's waist and grabbed ahold, which earned the composite digimon a roar for its trouble, but Dorugoramon held steadfast.

In fact, slowly, the dragon digimon began to push Kimeramon back.

"He's… winning?" Index blinked.

"The power gap is closer than I expected… but he has the advantage…!" Calumon commented. "Dorugoramon… he whose core is an embodiment of destruction… a mighty dragon capable of rivaling even the royal knights…!"

Touma watched on, shocked at how strong his partner had become. His thoughts were interrupted when Samson began to shout.

"You're not going to let this miserable creature stop us, are you!?" He screamed. "Use **Heat Viper** ; reduce that monster to-!" He was interrupted when Hiraku suddenly punched him across the face. The blow sent the former cabal boss flying, landing on his side before climbing back up with a sneer.

"…Kamijou!" Hiraku shouted. "Leave this bastard to me! Stop that thing!"

Touma blinked before shifting his attention back to the fighting titans. Kimeramon's mouth began to glow, energy gathering for its aforementioned signature attack. The spiky haired teen panicked and began scrolling through his console, looking for the command list for his digimon. He found two techniques tied to Dorugoramon, and not knowing what either one did, simply ordered his partner to use one.

"Dorugoramon! Use **Doru Djinn!"** He shouted. Dorugoramon's claws clamped down on Kimeramon's and in the next instance, a fiery explosion triggered where their arms were locked, blanketing the composite digimon's limbs in flames. The shock cause Kimeramon to let go, but Dorugoramon suddenly reached and grabbed ahold of the composite digimon's head and used the technique once more, causing a second fiery explosion.

Kimeramon roared in pain, stumbling backwards as its head was engulfed in fire. The dragon digimon moved to attack further when a blast came from behind, striking him. Dorugoramon turned around to find ChaosGallantmon unleashing its **Demonic Disaster** to attack from afar, while Titamon raced forward and swung its might blade, using its partner's ranged assault as a cover.

Dorugoramon managed to grab the blade before Titamon could unleash its own signature technique, **Soul Core Attack.** Energy flowed from the blade as Titamon continued to apply pressure to break the dragon digimon's grip, but as he continued, a set of arms wrapped around the mighty titan's waist.

"Who do you think you're fighting!? Apollomon; **Solblaster!"** Hamazura called out to his partner that held Titamon back. The large orb on Apollomon's back erupted in fire, unleashing it to bathe the green giant in crimson flames as point blank, causing Titamon to howl in pain and relent on its assault.

ChaosGallantmon moved to assist, but was suddenly placed into a nelson hold from behind by Goldramon, restraining the dark knight's arms.

"These guys are getting cocky if they think they can get sneak attacks like that off! Goldramon… use **Shoukan!** Introduce that bastard to Amon and Umon!" Leivinia ordered. At her word, two spirits, one red and one blue, appeared out of the gold digimon's arms, and began bombarding ChaosGallantmon with attacks while it was helpless.

Dorugoramon turned his attention back to the fallen Kimeramon, only to find it missing. A quick search revealed it had fled, flying high in the sky above the area. Energy was gathering in all four hands as well as its mouth; it was preparing a full power **Heat Viper.**

Touma narrowed his eyes, looking briefly at his right hand, then back to his partner.

"..Hey, Dorugoramon," Touma called to his partner. "That thing is about to blast the whole platform here… you got something for that in your second technique?"

Dorugoramon turned toward the unlucky Kamijou and nodded. Touma could have sworn he saw something of a confident smirk on his partner's face, and returned the gesture.

"…Alright, let let's do it! Give it all you got! Use **Brave Metal!"** Touma called out. Dorugoramon spread his wings and took to the sky. He roared loudly as fire began to surge from his hands, eventually engulfing the dragon completely. At this point, Dorugoramon began to spin, resembling something akin to a flaming drill as he soared straight for the composite digimon.

Kimeramon fired its attack, the five blasts converging into one as it slammed into Dorugoramon. However, the dragon digimon appeared to drill through the blast with his rapid spinning, continuing to rise, the attack only able to slow his movements. Eventually Dorugoramon reached the composite digimon, breaking through the attack completely and slamming his burning body into Kimeramon.

With the flames and the momentum, Kimeramon was torn in half, Dorugoramon ripping right through it. The two halves reverted to the Eater it was possessing and self-destructed, leaving only the black cube that it had absorbed. However, not eager to see it reclaimed, the dragon digimon continued his assault, forcefully tearing the cube asunder, destroying it completely.

Without that cube, Samson's plan was foiled. Even if Kimeramon resurrected itself once more, there'd be no way for it to further infect and use the Eater network for Samson's schemes.

"No… no, no, no, NO!" Samson cried out, watching the flaming pieces of the cube fall all over the server. "Do you fools know what you've done!? I had the solution to save the world! Stopping the Eaters and forging the perfect world!"

"I have no interest in a world saved by you!" Hiraku slammed a fist into the former cabal boss' stomach, simultaneously unleashing a blast of wind to send Samson soaring into the air. The former cabal boss flipped in the air, ready to counter attack, when GranKuwagamon, waiting for its opportunity to strike, slammed its mighty body into the cabal boss, knocking him straight down into the ground.

Samson bounced only once before his body rolled toward the server's edge. His body, broken by the impact, slowly rose back up, only for him to find the arm the insectoid digimon hit to be unusable. Though he could heal quickly, Hiraku didn't appear as though he intended to let him recover. The former cabal boss however had one last trick; a hidden teleportation array just in the last room to avoid discovery. Samson laughed as the rift formed, jumping back to path through it.

Only to bounce off like he had leapt into a wall. Confused, he turned around and tried to force his good arm through, only meeting a solid wall… what was more concerning however, was that he felt human skin on the other side… his own.

"Teleportation magic, swapping real world coordinates for ones used in digital space." Index spoke up. "I made the entrance and exit points one and the same; spells like this have to be pre-prepared with precise entrance and exit set-up. You can't use it anymore."

"You… hacked my magic!?" Samson roared. He sacrificed his broken arm to unleash a spell towards the silver haired nun in a fit of rage.

Only to find it break apart like broken glass.

"It's over, Samson! You lost!" Touma shouted, pulling his right arm back. Dorugoramon landed behind his partner, looming over in an imposing fashion.

The former cabal boss scrambled back as his rift closed. Looking for an escape, he almost fell off. However, unlike before, there was no bottom for him to land. Under Kowloon was the absolute bottom of EDEN; if he fell here, he would be falling forever.

Trapped alone in this digital hell.

He turned to his other digimon, only to discover them soundly defeated by their respective opponents. Judging from things, ChaosGallantmon and Titamon put up a fight to be sure, but their attempt to remove Dorugoramon from the conflict proved to be their undoing, giving their opponents prime opportunities to devastate them.

He was stuck; whether he fell into the abyss or was captured, his dream would never be realized.

"A-all… all I wanted… was to make the perfect world…!" Samson stated.

"By running over innocent people's lives? By using them like tools? Creating a world only for yourself?" Touma replied. "I'm not going to let you do that."

He began to step forward.

"I'm not going to let you run over the lives of people who are doing their best to make their own dreams come true, just because you don't think that's good enough!" He shouted.

"N-no! Stop please!" Samson shrieked, nearly falling to his doom for a second time.

"I told you before, a perfect world that tramples on even just one person's life is nothing but a lie! Still think you can do that and get away with it!? I'll shatter that-!"

Suddenly, a loud shockwave could be felt across the whole server. Something felt very wrong as the air shifted, feeling cold and stale. The ground shook as some unseen force rippled through the area.

However, a voice rippled out with the shockwave.

"Get… out…"

"!? Is that… Erika-san!?" Touma called out.

"Get out… get out! You're in danger! GET OUT!"

The voice repeated once more as a second shockwave rippled out. This one's effect was instantaneous.

Each person in the server was suddenly ejected from EDEN; a mass forced logout, each one taking their respective digimon with them.

However, there was one man where the idea of a return was ruled out at concept.

"Where… did they…?" Samson slowly sat up. His confusion reaching his peak, he didn't even care to regenerate his arm as he stood back up, looking around. "Where… did they go?"

He stepped around for a few moments. He was completely alone; even his digimon were gone without a trace. He didn't know if they were knocked off or simply vanished.

The colors in the area began to change form their blue hues to shades of black and white. Spiral patterns appeared in several places. Some sections began to vanish entirely.

The server was being corrupted.

"What… the hell!?" Samson shouted as he watched the changes unfold.

That's when they came from the ground. Hundreds of them.

Eaters.

"H-how'd so many get here so fast!?" Samson shouted as he watched the hoard rise up. They quickly caught his scent and charged for him, must to his dismay. He briefly thought about jumping to avoid being devoured, but he saw several in the air as well.

There was no such thing as safety.

He was going to die.

The former cabal boss began to back up slowly, when he felt something behind him. Something familiar. As the Eaters charged, four large arms grabbed and threw them aside, establishing its dominance.

"Ki… meramon…!" Samson spoke slowly as a smile creeped on his face. His partner had returned once more, but he felt a sharp pain in his side.

Upon checking it, he found a section of himself missing. As well as several others. He was dissolving… and he could see pieces of him flying and being absorbed in his partner's body.

He was being eaten.

"W-why… why!?" Samson called out softly; tears falling after his last partner appeared to betray him. "You've been… everything… so why… why now!? Was it just a game!? Waiting for the right time! Why!? Why…!"

Kimeramon paused for a moment before leaning over. It then did the impossible.

It spoke.

"I'm… taking… you…"

Samson shook, startled.

"What… taking me…?" He asked, confused. "Taking me… where!?"

"…I'm… taking… you…" Kimeramon repeated. "…To… the paradise… your paradise…"

He eyed his partner for some time, having trouble believing what he had heard. However, when it sunk in, even though his body was being eaten away, the he began to smile.

"To… paradise…?" Samson asked. "You… know the way? You know where it is?"

"I… know… I… make… you… will see… soon…" Kimeramon spoke once more.

More tears fell from the former cabal boss' face… but this time of joy. Even if he would be devoured, his partner promised to bring him to his ideal.

As his body vanished, he smiled wide.

Kimeramon was going to make his paradise.

* * *

 **And here we are at the bottom!**

 **With the end of the Touma route, he proceed into that super secret ending route I was talking about. If this wasn't on that train, things would have likely ended a little differently to be sure, What are your guy's thoughts on how things would have been if this wasn't the secret route version? I'm curious!**

 **And so next time... we're going to see all three Routes Converge once again. But how, you ask? You'll see...**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	19. Worst Case Scenario

**Hello my friends! We're nearing the end, but we still have some time left! Here we begin the extra special route for when all three stories converge into one!**

 **Before we get in, let's respond to some reviews!**

 _Mr. X:_ Glad you liked DoruGoramon's arrival! Well, there are three routes. This is all kind of set around two games: Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory. Normal Cyber Sleuth follows Ami, while Hacker's Memory follows Keisuke. These are route 1 and 2, respectively. This story, as it follows Kamijou Touma, is Route 3. So now that all three routes have been "Cleared," so to speak, all three route will converge into one... starting here for the secret route! Oh, believe me... stopping me from repeating phrases on accident is like trying to stop an atom bomb with tissue paper... I really would like to, but I can't seem to pull it off.

 _DiLost:_ Glad your digging the story! I did my best to make a successful companion story to those two games, so I'm happy to hear that you think it is! As for timestamp for To Aru, I don't have a fixed time spot for it, but definitely after NT10, with the appearance of Chibi-Othinus after all. I'd say it could fit in at any time after NT10.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ No more anticipation; its here! Yeah... the back and forth between those two was hard to pull off, but was absolutely necessary. Samson wants paradise, but Touma effectively was there and threw it away, so these two butting heads like that was a must. And of course, Hiraku's stake in things on top of that. The madness is beginning, my friend...!

 _whwsms:_ Lots of chaos, and lots of things happening... a lot of moving parts! Oh... about his GPA... I don't think we need to comment too much considering him being absent due to this whole Tokyo Fiasco... pretty sure it took a dive off a cliff.

 _fangs of death:_ Yeah, I tried to reach for some picks taht were either unimportant in the games or were flat out un-involved for some of the To Aru cast's digimon. I feel like it adds a little more flavor to the dish to see more reaches of the digimon side of things explored when it came to roster.

 _Sergio644:_ Glad my action writing is getting better. The next time is right now!

 _Stitches:_ Dracmon became a big boy! Sasmon's sanity has been slowly slipping more and more off the deep end as things have progressed, and he's fallen off completely. Yeah... they could care less about each other, but they all agree that Touma is someone who must be protected. This time all three routes start coming together!

 _chidoriprime:_ Not going to lie, if I DID go that route, I probably would roll with Tamamo-No-Mae being Touma's partner, for sure. I know there are more than a few ways to make To Aru and Fate/Extra work, for me it's a matter of making it... well, interesting. I wouldn't want to go the route of just Touma taking Hakuno's place... i'd like to give him his own set of events, but when it comes to that, I don't know where to even start.

 _WilliamZ0:_ If I catch you off guard, I feel like I'm doing something right! Yeah... sorry... but it'd be hard to put him everywhere at once. The paradise Kimeramon is referring to will become clear with time... And yes; NT22 is shaping up to be amazing!

 **With that done... I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Touma blinked, suddenly finding himself back in Leivinia's hotel room. He took off his Digivice and looked around, discovering that his partners in crime had also been similarly ejected from the online platform and were coming to.

"Whoa… what the hell happened?" Hamazura groaned.

"No idea… I didn't fucking do it." Accelerator grunted. "I had just finished up and was making my way toward the rest of you when this shit happened."

"I think… I got a headache…" Mikoto rubbed her head.

"…So I'm assuming things didn't go according to plan." Othinus spoke up.

"No it did… kind of; we stopped what he was trying to pull… but something forced us all out I guess…?" Touma stated.

"I heard… I heard a girl's voice." Index stated. "I know I heard it for sure… but who was it…?"

"You heard that too?" Mikoto stated.

"Fucking hell, now we have bitches talking in our head?" Accelerator frowned.

"…That was Erika-san, wasn't it?" Touma mused. He definitely heard the same voice, and it sounded just like her…

…Just what was happening in Keisuke's neck of the woods? Did something happen?

"Um… guys; we got a problem." Hamazura spoke up. "Just tried logging in, EDEN is completely down."

"It's down? As in offline down?" Mikoto asked.

"Yeah; says emergency maintenance… but everything related to it is dead. Whatever happened in there seems like it wrecked the whole damn platform." Hamazura added.

"…What could do something like that? An EMP?" Touma asked.

"If Tokyo got hit by an EMP; everything electrical would be out, not just EDEN." Accelerator answered. "Plus, no fucking clue what it'd do to everyone already inside after something like that; commercial systems aren't designed to tank EMP blasts, especially ones designed to basically upload and house someone's brain."

"…So then what the hell happened?" Mikoto asked.

"If not that… then…" Touma trailed off, trying to think. His phone went off however, interrupting his thoughts, answering it not long after.

"Hey, it's me," Leivinia Birdway sounded off from the other end. "Any idea what the fuck happened just now? We are about to beat the shit out of him… did he have some kind of backup plan?"

"If it was magic, Index would have noticed… and seeing as EDEN is completely offline now…" Touma replied.

"Christ's sake, we were so close too!" Leivinia grumbled. "How is everyone on your end? Everyone make it out ok?"

"We're fine… whatever that was forced us out too we're otherwise all ok… only wrong thing was that some of us got was a headache, and I think that's already faded." The spiky haired teen replied, scratching his head.

"Everyone was forced out huh…" Leivinia spoke. "…Hey; how fast you think you could make it to the central hospital?"

"With military types and digimon all around, it'd probably be about two hours I think, why?" Touma asked.

"…If everyone was forced out, as in absolutely everyone… do you think that it'd somehow include the bastard himself?" The blonde cabal boss suggested.

"…Oh crap; if he got forced out and woke up from that quarantine area…!" Touma stood up. "I'll see what I can do; want to meet up there?"

"Mark and I will secure the outer perimeter to make sure he doesn't escape. We'll meet with you when you arrive." Leivinia stated.

"Got it; we'll be there as soon as we can." Touma replied, hanging up his phone and stand up.

"Hey; what's going on?" Mikoto asked.

"If everyone in EDEN was forced out of it… that if that includes who I think it might…" Touma spoke as he put on his jacket. "…Then Samson will be at the central hospital."

 **-Two hours later, Central Hospital-**

"So we're here; we're just looking for the same guy but out here, right?" Hamazura asked as he stepped out of the car. It appeared to be a rental, though whose name it was under was unknown.

"Should be; need to find Birdway though before we head in. Best to have everyone just in case he resists." Touma answered, stepping out himself.

"Found her." Mikoto stated, pointing toward a section of the crowded parking lot. Leivinia Birdway was searching from car to car, looking for anything amiss. Upon spotting the unlucky Kamijou and his group, she ran over.

"Didn't think you were serious about the two hour wait, holy hell." Leivinia commented.

"I wasn't either; apparently some spike in digital waves is causing a bunch of malfunctions out on the city; getting from point A to B was a lot more complicated." Touma shook his head. "Could have flown, but risking setting military types with trigger happy fingers didn't sound like a good idea, since we were on our way here."

"Fair enough; digimon flying straight for the main hospital in Tokyo would get unwanted attention." Leivinia nodded. "Though I am wondering about this digital wave business…"

"One thing at a time; got anything for information?" Hamazura asked.

"There is a magic seal on the quarantine ward's door that wasn't there before; the explosive kind, just in case if anyone decided to pry it open." The blonde cabal boss stated. "…Besides that though? No changes; its likely Samson left that seal to protect his body if he ever needed it, probably before his foray into Under Kowloon… but if he woke up, he's made no attempt to leave his room."

"…Don't think he's taking all the EDEN Syndrome patients as hostages, do you?" Mikoto suggested.

"Well, if he is, we have the anti-magic lock pick right here." Leivinia crossed her arms.

"I can redirect an explosion if shit goes wrong or if he has a backup." Accelerator added.

"Right; I'll be waiting for Mark to finish up his own investigation in case we finds something. Plus Stiyl and that Fukutsuwa Hiraku should be inbound at some point." Leivinia stated.

"So we keep an eye out until everyone gets here, and then hammer him in force? Seems like overkill at this point, but if this bastard has had a way out of every other attempt to capture him, it makes sense." Hamazura commented.

"…Touma?" Index called out, tugging on the unlucky teenager's coat sleeve. "Something… doesn't feel right. In the air."

"Eh? Are you ok? You didn't get sick, did you?" Touma replied.

"It's not her," Othinus spoke up. "…Something feels off about this whole area. I can't put my finger on it, but…"

"…Could that spike in digital waves everyone was complaining about be causing a reaction in people's bodies…?" Touma frowned. "And if so… why is it coming from here?"

"No fucking clue; my connection to the Misaka Network is just fine." Accelerator spoke.

"...This spot does kind of have that "Final boss" feel to it, now that you say something…" Hamazura commented.

"That's a death flag; say that again and I'll kick your ass." Touma deadpanned. His phone began to sound off before too long.

It was someone he wasn't expecting.

"Hey! Kamijou-san! W-where are you right now!?" The voice of Amazawa Keisuke came from the other side.

"…Central hospital trying to see if Samson got forced out of EDEN like everyone else did, why?" Touma asked. "Also, a bunch of my friends and I heard Erika's voice when we all got kicked off; is everything ok over there?"

"Y-you heard that too, huh? I thought me and Wormmon were the only ones since we were in Erika's memory core at the time…!" Keisuke sounded both exhausted and apprehensive at the same time. "L-look, a lot of stuff went down; saved Ryuji but she got jumped by her own Eaters that she hacked, then the whole thing with EDEN happened when we were trying to get some kind of connection to her!"

"Hey, hold up; Erika-san hacked and took control of a bunch of Eaters and they turned on her!?" Touma looked confused.

"I-I know you're going to have questions, but I need you to stay with me; if I don't explain everything, it won't make sense!" Keisuke replied. "Yeah; she got jumped and all the Eaters fused together and then that whole thing with EDEN shutting down happened. Managed to force our way through with a special login terminal Kamishiro had under wraps, and the whole place was infested with Eaters. Made our way to Erika's memory core where the Eater that had taken her was, and then a whole bunch of stuff I do not fully understand happened… but its gone! It's freaking gone!"

"What's gone?" Touma asked.

"H-her memory core!" Keisuke shouted. "Some weird stuff happened and it came alive, but it's gone! Vanished! And everything it was attached to too; all the Eater stuff in EDEN is just gone!"

"…Why are you telling me this?" Touma asked, his voice deepening a little. "If you're wondering if I've seen it, I have just as much of a clue as you do!"

"That's not it! Before it vanished, something jumped on top of it!" The Hudie hacker stated. "I couldn't quite tell, but Ryuji swears that what he saw was a Kimeramon!"

"A… Kimeramon?" Touma asked. Just as he heard Keisuke start to reply, the line went dead, but that was the least of his worries.

As a loud boom suddenly resonated in the area. The digitalization effect on the surrounding structures began to intensify considerably, but the most shocking thing…

There was a large, glowing hole in space right above the Central Hospital.

"What… w-what the hell is that!?" Hamazura stammered out.

"Birdway; what did you do!?" Touma shouted.

"Why do you automatically assume it was me!? If I wanted to pull something to nuke the hospital, I would have just done it and not waited for you assholes!" Leivinia fired back.

"…Human, it is unlikely that the little witch had anything to do with it." Othinus spoke up. "…In fact, it would appear that this rift in space appears very similar to the one in the sky when the digimon fell into the city."

"You… think so?" Touma asked.

"I saw the event on the news; they look similar, although obviously this one is smaller and glowing, barely able to cover the air above a single building, while the big one could cover all a large section of the city." Othinus added.

As the group looked up and the sky darkened, the rift appeared to be shrinking in size. The tear in space was slowly repairing itself, attempting to close and restore natural order.

However, a massive clawed hand thrust out from the rift, gripping the edge of it and pulling it open wider with physical strength alone. Three others appeared doing the same to the corners, pulling the fissure further apart as something prepared to force itself through.

"…Accelerator, is your connection still solid!?" Touma asked.

"Fucking hell; yes! Why the hell do you keep asking!?" Accelerator spat.

"Because I feel like we're going to need it!" Touma shouted. A loud roar erupted from the rift as with one more tug, something large fell from the rip.

Straight down onto the Central Hospital.

"D-damn it all!" Touma shouted as the structure was effectively crushed. Pieces of the building were ejected all over the area, including large sections that slammed into the surrounding buildings.

A large cloud of dust and smoke filled the area. Despite this however, several large chunks of debris had pools of blood below them, a few visible from the remains of the main structure.

As the tear in space was sudden, even if the hospital was given an order to evacuate, the chances of doing so for the whole building in only a few minutes were zero.

Most of, if not all, of the people in the Central Hospital were killed in one fell swoop.

"You bastard…!" Touma cursed. He tried to run forward, only to be held in place by his companions to stop him. "That was full of innocent people you son of a bitch!"

A loud deafening roar was the unlucky Kamijou's reply from the beast, loud enough to manifest as a physical force that quickly dispelled the cloud of dust, shattering the windows and further damaging building in the area. The digitalization effect once more intensified, now beginning to affect the earth below the beast's feet and spreading outward.

Without the cloud, the monster that stood upon the Central Hospital's rubble was fully revealed.

"No way… is that… Kimeramon…!?" Touma shouted.

It appeared to be roughly fifty meters tall, and most of its skin had darkened considerably. Despite its change in size, all of its limbs appeared leaner, and the vast majority of the individual characteristics of the digimon that made up the monster had been lost, with only faint resemblances carrying over as the rest of its appearance became more uniform in composition. It's jaw had been lengthened, its horn became much more defined and solid, and the plated head now had clear holes for its red eyes to see.

Its wings were gone completely, replaced by what appeared to be a secondary existence, almost like a ghost that was firmly attached to the digimon's back, going down and wrapping around the monster's thighs as it reached its lower body. Most of this phantom's features were nonexistent, although it had clear holes for eyes, and an additional set of arms with three claws each. It appeared to loiter over the monster's main body with its colors constantly shifting from yellow to blue. The last noticeable characteristic came from a massive set of mechanical cannons on its back, looking very similar to the set on another digimon; Machinedramon.

"Did it… digivolve…?" Mikoto asked.

"That thing was effectively like a zombie, right? How the hell does a zombie evolve!?" Hamazura shouted.

"…This is Samson's doing, isn't it?" Touma grit his teeth. "We want so far to pull a stunt like this!? Where the hell is he then!?"

The monster before them eyed the group for a moment. Slowly, one of its four arms lifted, pointing to itself.

"…Inside… me." It spoke.

"N-now it can talk!? This thing is freaking me the fuck out!" Hamazura shouted.

"…Looks like Frankenstein's monster got tired with its creator and ate him." Leivinia stated.

The monster however shook its head. Despite a clear difference in size, it could clearly hear them.

"He… lives." It spoke. "He lives… inside… me… like all… will…!"

"D-did that thing just say something dangerous? Because that sounded dangerous!" Hamazura called out.

"Tch… fucking bastard. Hey, get out here you three; I got someone for you to teach the pecking order to." Accelerator stated. At his command, Darkdramon, RustTyranomon, and Plutomon spawned next to him.

"…The albino has a point; if this thing is somehow a last ditch plan by Samson, all we have to do is crush it!" Leivinia said. Her Goldramon appeared in the air just behind her.

"You make it sound easy; look at the size of that thing! You got a plan or are we just blasting it and hoping for the best!?" Hamazura shouted, his own Apollomon appearing as he spoke.

"We have to start somewhere; won't know if we can even stop the thing until we try." Mikoto fired back as her QueenChessmon spawned in.

"Samson or not; whatever the hell this thing is, we can't exactly just let it run around, can we?" Touma spoke. Dorugoramon materialized just behind the unlucky Kamijou with a loud roar, ready for a fight.

"…Calumon, I need you." Index called out. "Any and all information would be helpful… and you seem to know digimon very well… so please; one last time?"

The little white Calumon popped into the silver haired nun's arms, looking on at the scene unfolding before them.

"…I might be exhausted, but I don't mind helping out; you didn't need to make it sound like I was dying, you know." Calumon stated. "…But… you're facing that… huh?"

"You know about this one too, huh?" Touma asked.

"A little… it is a monster at the edges of knowledge in the digital world…" Calumon stated. "I can tell you that it is definitely a digivolution of Kimeramon… a Jogres Digivolution; a fusion evolution if you will… but what I want to know is where it got its hands on a Machinedramon to combine with to result in that…"

"…A Machinedramon?" Touma asked. Calumon nodded.

"It is called Millenniummon; it is a Jogres Digivolution between Kimeramon and Machinedramon, a very specific one too." The little white digimon stated. "…But I don't recall ever seeing a Machinedramon in the area, nor in Samson's possession."

"I know someone who had one… but they weren't there at the scene…" Touma stated. "Plus, a friend of mine said he distinctly saw Kimeramon… on top of Erika's… memory core…?"

He began to think; could Kimeramon have substituted something for its own evolution?

Moreover, could have been the Eater-infected memory core have passed for it?

"…Damn it all; Amazawa-san… I think we found that missing memory core you were talking about… shit!" Touma spoke to himself. "Well, how does it attack? Do you know?"

"I only know rumors… but it's primary method of attacking is-"

A loud buzzing noise laid over the distinct sound of a ticking clock suddenly rippled through the area, overpowering every single sound. When it faded, the entire area appeared to have shifted to grayscale. Calumon, who was in mid-sentence had suddenly frozen in place, as had Index.

In fact, all the respective digimon had been similarly affected, as well as their respective masters. The flames coming from Apollomon's body had frozen, for example. Even the unlucky Kamijou's own partner was similarly paused in time.

"What the hell… is this!?" Touma shouted, appearing to be the only one free from this mysterious event.

" **Time… Unlimited…!"** Millenniummon spoke. The monster's own body faded back to full color as it began to move, slowly lumbering forward.

"Time…? Did that thing stop time somehow…!?" Touma shouted.

"Seems like it; annoying little bastard."

"!? O-Othinus!?" Touma called out, the second voice coming from his shoulder.

"…Despite my size, I am still a Magic God; we are beings who do not observe the concept of time, so of course a time stop wouldn't affect me." Othinus spoke. "…Imagine Breaker is likely what spared you from it, before you ask."

"B-but what does that do for us!?" Touma shouted.

"…Don't know; think you can get close enough to touch that thing to dispel it with your right hand without dying?" Othinus commented.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me…!" Touma spat. Millenniummon swung one of its large arms to try to sweep the entire group in one attack. Touma managed to dive out of the way just in the nick of time, avoiding the blow as it collided with the group, scattering each one and their digimon all over for a brief moment before they froze in the air.

Touma quickly scrambled to his feet as Millenniummon gave chase. He really didn't stand much of chance running away, but approaching the beast would likely just get him stomped on by the monster due to its incredible size. It was as if he was acting in some kind of kaiju movie, hopelessly trying to escape the giant monster who wanted his blood.

Millenniummon, tired of the cat and mouse, slammed one arm into the set of buildings in front of the unlucky Kamijou, causing the area to collapse and force him to stop in his tracks to avoid the debris.

"C-come on; there was an alleyway right there!" Touma cursed.

"I think he was on to your shenanigans… he might be big but he's not stupid." Othinus commented.

"I think I see that!" Touma shouted. The massive digimon lumbered closer, its hold on time itself not waning in the least. Millenniummon remembered Touma, or at least it appeared to; seeking to end the spiky-haired teenager's life to avoid complicating whatever plot the monster had in mind.

It drew back an arm; its claws curling into ward to form a fist, intending to crush the unlucky Kamijou with all of its strength in one go.

The attack was launched with a roar as the stopped air screamed in protest to being torn asunder.

"Whoa there, big guy! Take it easy on showing off the muscle, would you!?"

A third voice resonated in the area, a figure jumping in front of the unlucky Kamijou and grabbing ahold of the massive fist before it would land and end his life.

"P-Plutomon!? You can move!?" Touma called out.

"Something like that! I get lumped in as a ruler of the digital underworld, like those demon lords do, you know?!" Plutomon spoke, holding Millenniummon's fist at bay. "I could explain in detail, but the short version is that I lack a concept of time just like the little lady does!"

"…Then you're the only one who can do something! Think you can pull off anything to break us out of this!?" Touma asked.

"I got something; a nice little wake-up call!" Plutomon stated. **"Schwarz Strahl!"** A surge of dark energy formed in-between its outstretched hands and fired a precise beam, blasting Millenniummon's arm in half. The monster staggered backward, not expecting the attack it was forced to endure, and Plutomon moved to the side and charged straight up to the monster's head with dark energy enveloping its claws. "And finally! **Styx Killer!"** It used its claws to violently tear into Millenniummon's head, causing the monster to stumble and fall backward, collapsing into several buildings.

"S-shit…! There's probably people still inside those…!" Touma cursed.

"Not much can be done; we are fighting right in the middle of a populated area you know!" Plutomon stated, landing after the attack.

Once the monster had been felled, the colors in the area began to return; the stop in time had ended.

The group that had been launched during the event resumed normal action, flying through the air as Millenniummon's actions took hold.

"S-shit!" Hamazura cried out as he and his digimon were flung across the area along with everyone else.

"What the hell just happened…!?" Leivinia shouted.

"T-time! Millenniummon manipulates time!" Calumon called out.

"…Fucking hell; my ability won't react in a state like that." Accelerator swore. "Can't process and counter something that effectively moves with infinite speed…!"

"No worries boss-man! Don't think he'll pull that off again." Plutomon stated. "I rocked his face during his own time stop; he won't pull a stunt like that against someone it won't work against! Plus I erased half of one of his arms and tore out one of his cheeks; pain like that will probably keep him from focusing enough to use it!"

"I-Index! Calumon! You two ok!?" Touma shouted as he ran over.

"F-fine… I think I was just hit by the shockwave…" Index stated.

"Could have been better… ugh!" Calumon, finished explaining things finally, let out a huff of air.

"Ok… good… how about you big guy?" Touma went over to his partner, Dorugoramon. The dragon digimon was slowly climbing to his feet, nodding at his companion's question. The rest of the group similarly rose back up.

"So… did you kill it or what?" Hamazura asked.

"Doubt it; probably just stunned it. Guy is one hardy son of a bitch." Plutomon replied. "But it looks like I hard counter his go-to tactic, and I can tear off his limbs; no worries, we got this!"

Millenniummon began to pick itself up, eventually standing once more. Just as the dark ruler said, half of one of its four arms was missing, and it had a noticeable gash on the side of its head. It roared loudly once more, and the digitalization effect intensified again; there appeared to be a direct link between the monster and the sudden intensification and expansion of the mass digital shift enveloping Tokyo.

"I think all you did was piss it off!" Mikoto shouted.

"He definitely did damage though…! If we can hurt it, we can kill it!" Leivinia stated.

As the monster roared however, something strange was happening in the area surrounding it. Digitalized and normal materials began to dissolve, specks of what looked like data began flowing into Millenniummon. Slowly, the monster began to heal; the gash on its head began to close as well as its arm starting to regenerate. After only a few moments, Millenniummon was back at full capacity.

"It… absorbed its surroundings and… healed with it?" Index's eyes widened. "It's not stopping… is it constantly absorbing its surroundings?"

"So much for it being an easy picking…" Accelerator clicked his teeth.

"D-don't blame it on me! I didn't know it could just fix itself!" Plutomon stated.

"…Even if we killed this thing, what's to stop it from just taking over another Eater like it did before?" Touma frowned.

"He… has a point; with that cube, it was just taking in and manipulating it…" Calumon stated. "But in this case… it would appear that this memory core and Kimeramon were intertwined at the base level for digivolution; if Kimeramon could possess Eaters, then this Millenniummon definitely could too…!"

"Then what the fuck do we do about it!?" Accelerator spat. "The fucker can stop time, heal itself, and effectively resurrect itself from the dead? What the fuck do you do about that!?"

"…I could try banishing it to the underworld in the digital world, but I think it might actually be able to survive there as it is now." Plutomon stated. "Plus, as this thing eats data like those Eaters do, sending it to the digital world right now is probably a death sentence for the whole place."

"Then… we have just one option left…" Touma clenched his right hand. "If I can get close enough and touch it with my right hand… since it's basically an Eater and a magical creature, I should be able to destroy it, right?"

"And how do you intend to do that and not get swatted out of the air!? Or stepped on!?" Mikoto argued. "Even if it does work, if one thing goes wrong, you'll die you idiot!"

"No matter what we're doing, we need a plan soon; it's getting ready to attack again!" Leivinia called out.

Millenniummon held out its four arms briefly before slamming them into the ground. The monster stayed in this position for some time and during this period, the monster's skin on tis limbs began to shift and twitch violently.

The skin began to split, and hordes of Eaters began to erupt from the cuts, pouring out into the parking lot with reckless abandon.

"Its creating those things!?" Hamazura shouted.

"It's going to divide our attention and attack us while we deal with them… what a pain…!" Leivinia commented.

"So not only is getting close enough to attack it with Imagine Breaker not an option, but now it intends to swarm us and attack from afar…!" Touma cursed.

Eaters continued to pour from Millenniummon's arms as the cannons attached to the ethereal part of the monster's body began to take aim, a soft buzzing sound resonating as the machinery activated and charged.

They were in a corner; focus on Millenniummon and drown in the Eater hoard, or focus on self-defense and be subject to a bombardment.

However, off to the side, the debris covering the destroyed alleyway the unlucky Kamijou attempted to use to escape was suddenly exploded as something came charging through it, sending chunks of concrete in all directions and kicking up a cloud of dust. The creature was hard to see, but it charged right into the Eater hoard and barreled through, eventually taking to the air and slamming itself into Millenniummon's cannons, forcing them to pivot when they discharged. The blasts tore through a large section of the area before flying into the horizon due to the angle of the shift from the impact.

As perpetrator of the assault took to the air, it was revealed to be GranKuwagamon.

"Hey, hey! The cavalry is here!" Hiraku called out from above as he flew around the group as it made a pass around after its attack run.

"Quit showboating! Unless you have an army up there we're still in hot water!" Touma shouted up.

"Funny that you mentioned that, because I picked up some stragglers on my way here!" Hiraku called out. As he spoke, a second set of figures jumped out from GranKuwagamon's back, one carrying the other. Rather than fall however, they appeared to gently fly down toward the ground.

The most noticeable was one doing the carrying. She appeared to be a feminine digimon with blue hair, her head covered by a grey helmet that had a set of blue butterfly-like wings sticking out of it, being large enough to function as wings themselves. She wore light blue armor with a fur-like collar that covered her torso but left her legs exposed, also having a skirt with a design similar to its wings flow behind her.

In her arms was…

"Hey! Amazawa-san!" Touma waved.

"N-nice to see you!" Keisuke stated. "S-sorry, t-this is just really nervous, you know? I've never flown before!"

"How do you think I feel? Since I'm basically your ride, be a little more considerate!" The butterfly digimon fired back as she landed, letting go of the Hudie hacker as they reached the ground.

"I see that you got your hands on a new digimon." Touma stated.

"…About that… em…" Keisuke rubbed the back of his head. "That's actually… Erika."

"E-Erika-san!?" Touma cried out. "W-what happened!?"

"…Lots of things and it's all very hard to explain…" She shook her head. "What he said isn't quite right, yet it is at the same time. Just call me Hudiemon; it will be easier."

"…So your girlfriend became your company's mascot, huh?" Touma blinked.

Both Keisuke and Hudiemon exchanged looks before reeling back fists and punching the unlucky Kamijou.

"Ow! What did I do!?"

"Now is not the time for this, don't you think!?" Both parties shouted in unison.

"They have a point, Kamijou!" Leivinia called out. "That attack the loud idiot slammed into their boss distracted them for a moment, but it looks like the tentacle freaks are ready to move on us again!"

"Damn it all… hey; where is Ryuji-san and Chitose-san?" Touma asked.

"Right up here, Touma-chan!" Chitose called out as GranKuwagamon went to land. Chitose jumped off the insect, followed by Ryuji.

"Sounds like you folks have been having one hell of party." The Hudie leader spoke.

"And I'm guessing that big thing over there is where the memory core went?" Keisuke asked

"Right on the money on both accounts… but this entire thing has gotten more complicated." Touma stated. "Don't even know if we can kill it, or what happens if we somehow pull that stunt off to begin with."

"All it means is that we have to beat it down then figure out how to handle it." Hudiemon stated, seeming eager for a throw down. "That was MY memory core you ate up you monster!"

"I don't want to be "that guy," but I don't think the fucker is going to just let you walk up and smack it! Get ready for a fight!" Hamazura said, his Apollomon back into position to fight, along with the others.

Millenniummon roared, preparing to unleash its cannon fire once more. The sudden blow had distracted it as it continued to absorb its surroundings into itself, using some to repair the damage to the cannons while using the rest to increase in mass. It was noticeable; Millenniummon was devouring its surroundings and using it to fuel its growth, becoming larger over time.

Suddenly, lighting struck as the sky darkened once more, similar to when the rift Millenniummon used occurred above the hospital. There was a fair bit of cloud cover, so a possible storm was an explanation, but the clouds were swirling around uncontrollably.

Before long, there was a dark hole in the sky; pitch black and surrounded by clouds, contrasting the glowing one which spawned Millenniummon.

"Oh great, what now!?" Touma shouted.

"The rift between worlds has been opened once more… but why?" Calumon stated. "I saw news footage back at home; it looked just like that when the other digimon fell through! It was closed when we arrived here!"

"You sure? It was looking like that an hour or so ago… but it did close up while we were on our way. Think something closed it and opened it up again?" Hamazura commented.

"I have an idea… Millenniummon is causing the digital shift to get worse; I'm guessing its pulling that off by emitting digital waves… think it got so intense that it forced the hole in space back open?" Mikoto spoke up.

"If that monster is behind these distortions I've been feeling, then that would make sense." Hudiemon stated.

"That's bad… the rest of the Eaters are there! If the hole is open, they'll all come pouring out, won't they!?" Touma shouted.

Something was definitely coming; the hole in the sky was large enough for a multitude of entities to travel through, just like before.

However, what emerged from the larger rift wasn't anything anyone could expect.

A loud voice echoed from above.

" **Garuru Cannon!"**

A large blast of blue energy fired from the rift, slamming right into Millenniummon's back, causing the monster to roar out in pain and double over, and thus ending the flow of Eaters in the process.

"…That wasn't an Eater." Touma blinked.

Several more blasts rained down from the rift, bombarding the mass of Eaters repeatedly. Before long, the source of these attacks descended, traversing the rift to appear in the human world.

"Yahoo! Keep it up, Omegamon! Don't stop firing until they're all gone! " A female voice called out from above.

"I-Is that… N-Nokia?" Chitose commented.

Indeed, it was Shiramine Nokia riding on the shoulder of Omegamon as it flew down.

"Hey! I told you to call me Akkino, remember!?" Nokia shouted as her partner landed.

"I've been in a coma for a month or two; cut me some slack, would you!?" Chitose fired back.

"Nokia," Omegamon called out. "We have more pressing issues than just sorting out naming conventions!" It held out its MetalGarurumon arm, which presented a large cannon from its mouth, and opened fire. Each shot exploded violently, taking dozens of Eaters each shot.

Before long Millenniummon rose back to its feet once more, already recovered from the attack. It roared out, but Omegamon was unfazed by the outburst. The monster's cannons opened fire once again, and in response, the white knight withdrew its cannon. At the same time however, a large engraved blade burst from the WarGreymon arm from its mouth.

" **Grey Sword!"** Omegamon shouted, slashing into the beams of energy as they approached. Millenniummon's attack reflected off the blade, flying right back towards the massive creature, burning two holes decisively into its shoulders. However, despite the wounds being fresh, they were already starting to close.

Millenniummon's regeneration was speeding up.

"…So this beast has already grown that powerful?" Omegamon remarked. "Millenniummon is as fearsome is it was described…"

"H-hey! You two!" Touma called out from below. "Thanks for the back-up, but what are you doing here!? I thought you guys were busy!"

"We traveled to the digital world to resolve this crisis by slaying the Mother Eater, which had assimilated Yggdrasil." Omegamon replied. "However, things grew complicated shortly after discovering that Yuuko Kamishiro's brother was being held captive inside of it."

"…Yuuko-san has a brother?" Touma asked.

"It's a bit of a story; her brother ended up being the first EDEN Syndrome victim back during beta testing, and apparently ended up spending all this time trying to slow down the Eaters to stop them from evolving out of control. Then we pulled him out and then that scientist Suedou slipped in and took his place to try to control it… but that's when stuff started to go south I think." Nokia stated. "Ami and Yuuko say hi by the way! I think Yuuko is hanging back to take care of her brother, but Ami and Arata should be over when Kuremi ready to go!"

"…It's starting to seem like everyone's paths in this lead to dealing with some kind of an end of the world scenario." Touma sighed.

"It's nice that you're meeting old friends, but we do have a situation over here, boss!" Hamazura called out. During the arriving parties' appearance, the Eater hoard had moved on the group. The one who had raced to the front line was Apollomon, unleashing its **Solblaster** into the collective, burning a trench down the middle. Similarly, RustTyranomon and Darkdramon took to the offensive, unleashing their own signature techniques into the crowd.

"He's right; do you guys have a plan?" Ryuji spoke up.

"Not much of one; only idea I have is to see what Imagine Breaker does to it. It essentially is an Eater at the base level, so it could do something even if it has evolved." Touma replied.

"So we need to clear a path, right?" Chitose commented. "Sounds like something we can do, right Keisuke?"

"Right; don't know how long it will be before it summons more, but I can put a nice hole into them!" The Hudie hacker replied. "Let's go, TyrantKabuterimon!" At his command, a large insect digimon appeared behind Keisuke.

It did not have legs, its lower body consisting of only a long tail and two flail-like antenna. It instead kept in the air with sixteen pairs of glowing orange wings that extend from its spiked shoulders and waistline. It appeared to be covered with purple and black armor with large forearms sets of blades extending from them, eventually ending in clawed hands. What at first looked to be its face was instead a set of horns resembling a dragon with jagged teeth, with its actual head being imbedded in its torso, colored black with bright red eyes just above a large orange orb placed in its abdomen with two sets of smaller grey arms around it.

"Whoa… someone's been raising their digimon well, huh?" Touma blinked.

"Just been through a lot recently; we doing this or what!?" Keisuke shouted.

"I've got your back, Keisuke! Kamijou!" Hudiemon added.

"Leave support to me and Chitose; we have some new tricks too." Ryuji stated, a digimon going by the name of Justimon spawning next to him, resembling a cybernetic superhero with a red scarf around its neck.

"Don't be surprised if we show you up though; we're some top-class hackers you know!" Chitose added, a large statue-like digimon named Shakkoumon appearing not long after.

"Don't get cocky; we're here too!" Mikoto shouted with sparks flying from her bangs. QueenChessmon popped its knuckles, readying its mallet shortly after.

"If what you need is some muscle to manhandle these pests, leave it to me and GranKuwagamon!" Hiraku called out, his partner slamming its pincers together in agreement.

"Someone's excited… let's make it flashy, Goldramon!" Leivinia called out. Goldramon's fur began to shine as it readied itself for a fight.

"I'll handle Millenniummon and keep him distracted." Omegamon stated. "Nokia, it'd be best if you stand back; fighting a monster like this is going to is hectic."

"You got it; stay safe Omegamon!" Nokia replied, hopping off her partner's shoulder as it knelt.

"…Plutomon; support him. The other two will help hold the line." Accelerator ordered.

"A ruler of the underworld helps out a royal knight? Talk about combinations you'd never imagine." Plutomon replied.

"As if that's even remotely close to the fucking weirdest thing that's happened today."

"Semantics," Plutomon waved Accelerator off with a twist of its hand. "Either way, you want me to help him out? You got it; it'll take as many of the big guns to keep him busy as we can get!"

"So everyone know their roles?" Touma asked.

"I'll do my best to keep an eye out for everyone!" Index called out. "I should be able to memorize their attack patterns and advise accordingly!"

"Stay safe; we have a world or two to save today!" Calumon called out.

"Then let's do it!" Touma charged ahead, his Dorugoramon not far behind. Keisuke followed closely behind with his TyrantKabuterimon and Hudiemon. Omegamon and Plutomon took to the air, flying over the crafted Eater hoard to attack Millenniummon directly. The remaining members of the group attacked the congregation of Eaters directly, putting extra focus to keep them off the primary attacker's backs.

Touma and Keisuke charged ahead, their respective digimon dispatching the Eaters that tried to attack, although their numbers were starting to pile up.

"We need some crowd control! Does your partner have anything for that!?" Touma shouted as he punched right through an Eater with Imagine Breaker.

"You got it! TyrantKabuterimon! Use **Shine of Bee!"** Keisuke ordered.

TyrantKabuterimon's eyes lit up as it flew forward, ahead of the two. As it soared, the orb in its body began to shine, and after a few moments, a devastating explosion erupted from TyrantKabuterimon's body, incinerating a large section of the hoard as flames shot out in every direction. Despite the intense detonation, the purple insect digimon appeared unharmed and quickly returned to Keisuke's side after the deed was done.

"That put a dent in them!" Touma cheered.

"Focus on keeping pace! That monster is still getting stronger!" Hudiemon called out.

Up above, Omegamon and Plutomon fired upon Millenniummon from afar.

"Is it just me, or is he giving less and less of a shit about us attacking him!?" Plutomon shouted.

"Millenniummon is absorbing its surroundings, converting it all into data and growing in size and strength as it eats. It's natural that he'd start shrugging off direct attacks like this eventually." Omegamon responded.

Millenniummon roared, its cannons opening fire. The two flew to dodge the shots, returning fire whenever possible. The monster roared again in anger, but Omegamon used the opportunity to fire a shot directly into Millenniummon's mouth, exploding after making contact with its tongue. The blow caused the monster to stagger, stumbling back for a moment.

"Good shot; his voice was starting to piss me off." Plutomon stated.

"He might be powerful, but everything has its weak spot." The white knight replied.

"That so? I got something for him…!" Plutomon flew in close while Millenniummon was staggered, the various mouths across its body opening up. **"Hellfire!"** Torrents of violent flames erupted from its mouths and raced toward the monster. Millenniummon roared loudly upon feeling tis body begin to burn, as the volume of fire was high enough to properly engulf the monster's large body, and Plutomon kept piling more and more on.

"Will that keep him at bay?" Omegamon asked.

"Not sure; it's a little experiment!" The black underworld ruler replied. "He can regenerate from damage, so I'm trying to pile on more damage than he can heal from! Judging from his wails of agony, it's doing something!"

True, Millenniumon continued to cry out in pain, constantly turning and shifting and twisting to try to avoid the constant flow of fire.

However, a flame engulfed arm suddenly shot out from the pass and slammed into Plutomon's body, swatting it out of the sky and sending it flying into a building across the street.

"Plutomon!" Omegamon called out. The flames began to disperse without the constant input, and Omegamon began to open fire once again upon seeing the monster once more as the fire vanished.

Touma cursed as he and Keisuke ran.

"One of them is down! We need to book it!" He shouted.

"Crap! It saw us!" Keisuke called out. True to his word, Millenniummon's eyes moved down, locking onto the group running towards it. Doing its best to ignore the incoming gunfire from Omegamon, it raised up both sets of arms in preparation to slam them down onto the group.

However, Hudiemon flew towards the monster.

"Leave it to me! **Infinity Dream!"** Hudiemon called out. Her body began to glow as a bright green aura began to emanate from her wings. It traveled toward the monstrous Millenniummon rather quickly, seemingly being absorbed into it. The monster began to twitch as it move, letting out a low growl; it was clearly comfortable with whatever was happening to it.

It was slowly down by a rather large degree, and seemed to be in pain.

However, it was still moving.

" **Digitalize of Soul!"**

Four green beams fired from behind Hudiemon, each one aimed for one of Millenniummon's limbs, piercing each one and bringing it to a halt.

As Hudiemon was confused, something flew past her to engage the monster.

It was a large humanoid digimon, covered in heavy black armor with a gold finish at the edges. A white, worn cape flew from its back in-between two black segments that stuck out, each one having full angelic wings flowing from each one. In its right hand, it held a gigantic black weapon with golden blades on both sides.

"…Kamijou! Now is our chance!" Keisuke called out.

"Right! Let's do it!" The two ran forward. They quickly entered the vicinity of Millenniummon's lower body Eaters tried to close in. However, Dorugoramon and TyrantKabuterimon turned around, blocking their movement forward.

Up above, the unknown black digimon's blade began to shine a brilliant light as it gripped it with both hands.

" **Kyukyoku Senjin Ouryuken!"** A feminine voice sounded from the armored digimon as it swung its blade at an upward angel. Despite Millenniummon's increase in power, the sword was more than capable of slicing through the monsters skin, and in one fell swoop, decapitated the colossus. The body jerked as its head flew through the air, before slumping backward to a sitting position, motionless. The black knight held out one hand toward the soaring head and unleashed a wave of green energy to encompass the severed cranium, annihilating it in one attack.

However, Touma as far from satisfied; not wanting to trust that a severed head would be enough, he pressed on and slammed his right hand into its leg. Millenniummon's body began to twitch rather violently for a brief moment before stopping after the sudden contact, before returning to its stationary state once more.

The only remaining sounds were that of the Eaters it had spawned, whose numbers had been thinned rather significantly.

"Did… it work?" Keisuke asked.

"I don't know… it's not moving, and it definitely reacted to the contact…" Touma blinked, slowly backing away from the corpse.

It didn't dissolve or vanish, but Millenniummon's body remained stationary.

"…Maybe all we needed to do was cut off its head?" Keisuke suggested.

"Don't know… if these things are similar to animals, then their heads would have their brain… or maybe for them it'd be like a main processing unit?" Touma replied.

The two continued to back away, gradually relaxing as it appeared to be over.

"Get away from there!" The black armored digimon from above called out. "It's not safe!"

Slowly, the body began to twitch.

"S-shit! Imagine Breaker didn't negate it!" Touma cursed.

"We need to go!" Keisuke called out.

Millenniummon began to stand up once more as the two turned to run. A new head began to form and push out of its stump of a neck. Before long, it had a fresh new head, and it began to howl loudly upon being healed. Hudiemon fell back as well, flying next to Keisuke and picking him up to carry the Hudie hacker to TyrantKabuterimon for a faster retreat. Dorugoramon came down as well, grabbing Touma by his sides before taking to the air once more.

It didn't take them long to return to their allies across from the hospital ruins.

"What the hell happened over there, boss!?" Hamazura asked.

"It's no good; I don't know if it's because it digivolved or if it has a specific point to hit, but Imagine Breaker wasn't enough to take it down!" Touma replied.

"Kamijou-san!" Another voice called out, running toward them. "I saw what happened, are you ok!?"

"A-Aiba-san?" Touma blinked. "I-I guess Akkino-san did say you were on the way, but I guess I didn't expect to see you."

"It's fine; things got really crazy in the digital world. If it wasn't for Kuremi, I don't think we could have made it." Ami replied. "Are you ok? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"I'm fine… just pissed off… what's it going to take to take that thing down?" Touma frowned.

"If it could survive the removal of its head, then it is much more robust than anticipated." The voice of the black armored digimon rang overhead as it landed. Omegamon had returned as well, carrying Plutomon over its shoulder.

"…Bastard got too tough even for Plutomon to handle easily, huh?" Accelerator clicked his teeth.

"Unfortunately; we will need to be careful. Direct assault is becoming less effective." Omegamon replied as it set Plutomon onto the ground to let him rest. "Alphamon; we need a plan."

"Supposedly, Arata is helping secure just that." The digimon known as Alphamon commented. "Though it did take significantly more effort and power to recover from the removal of its head; similar strikes such as that could be used as a work-around way to cap is growth."

"Hold on, you know Sanada-san?" Touma asked.

"…Ah, that is right; you don't know." Alphamon chuckled lightly, its feminine voice becoming more apparent. "I must be hard to recognize like this, am I right?"

"…Eh?" Touma blinked.

"Kamijou-san… em… that's Kuremi… my boss, remember?" Ami spoke.

"S-she became a digimon!? J-just like Erika did!?" Touma shouted.

"More like was one from the beginning." The voice of Arata came from behind the group. "It's a long story and we don't have time to go into all the details. I know it's a pain to accept stuff at face value, but it'll have to do for now."

He walked forward, but something was following up behind him… a humanoid Eater.

"S-Sanada-san! Behind you!" Touma shouted.

"Oh? Yeah; he's behind me." Arata nodded. "He better be; it'd piss me off if the old man had me rig him up a body to use and he ran off."

"A… body?" Touma blinked, his confusion growing with each statement. The humanoid Eater stepped to stand next to the jumpsuit hacker rather than attacking him, so it was at least docile.

And then… it bowed.

"Greetings, Kamijou Touma! Long have I wished to meet you since I began to hear of your exploits! My only regret is that our meeting could not have been in person, but such is out of the question at the moment!"

The sound of an old but eccentric man came from the Eater's… everything.

"W-what the hell!? It talks!?" Touma cried. "Ok; start explaining things! I can deal with face value acceptance for the sake of convenience, but this is too much! Explain before I clobber you both!"

"Ah… you see; I reside within the Mother Eater, which is currently in the palace of Yggdrasil, or King Drasil if you prefer. Due to circumstances I am limited to this one body, thanks to Sanada Arata's assistance!" The Eater spoke. "My name is Suedou Akemi, researcher for Kamishiro; a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance!"

"…You're making more questions than answers!" Touma looked on the verge of pulling his own hair out.

"Relax a little… guy tried to take Yuugo's place in the Mother Eater after we pulled him out of the Eater Network… but it looks like that big monster of yours put a stop to it." Arata explained.

"…Yuugo was in this Mother Eater…?" Touma frowned. "…So Yuugo was Yuuko's brother the whole time, and somehow was able to login to EDEN… from the digital world?"

Arata gave a strained expression.

"…My god you are out of the loop; so much so that its sad," He shook his head. "I'll explain that one when we're NOT all about to die to some monster with an appetite for existence itself!"

"Indeed! Time is of the essence; what you need to know is that the monster known as Millenniummon has stolen permissions from the Mother Eater during the brief period it did not have a host; seems rather tactical, so it was likely waiting for just the right time to act." Suedou commented. "Clever, I must admit!"

"So… he was supposed to be your final boss… but Millenniummon stole the show, huh?" Touma crossed his arms. "So… now you're working together?"

"More or less; enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all." Arata stated. "He might be crazy, but genocide is far from what he was trying to pull, nor was it what he wanted to begin with."

"Yes, yes! I do not wish to kill; only to save in my own way! But that is not the point of this discussion!" Suedou stated. "The monster even stole permissions to accessing Yggdrasil directly… regardless; even if I cannot control the Eater network or Yggdrasil, I can see everything each and every Eater sees, in addition to having omnipotence within the network! After some careful analysis and observations… I have deduced a method to end this monster's rampage! A boon for us all, even if we would otherwise be at odds with each other!"

"You have a way to beat it?" The spiky hared teen asked.

"Of course! All I require is your right hand; Imagine Breaker as you called it!" The Eater spoke. "That is the tool to purge this virus from the Eater network once and for all!"

"But I just tried that! It didn't work!" Touma shook his head.

"Ah, I'm afraid that the monster's existence has become too twisted to purge normally; it is a matter of not simple contact, but where contact must be made!" Suedou continued.

A loud roar was heard in the distance; Millenniummon was appearing ready for combat once again.

"If that's the case… then what the hell do we need to do!?" Touma demanded.

Suedou spoke once more.

"Of course casual contact would fail; its existence has become too anchored to be purged like that… but inside of it is a different story entirely!"

* * *

 **And here we are at the bottom! With a small teeny tiny cliffhanger.**

 **There was a lot here, and a lot more to cover, so fitting it all into one was out of the question.**

 **So... we got another chapter of this showdown, and then a little epilogue. Two chapters left!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	20. Paradise

**And here we are for the Climax...!**

 **Not going to waste time, especially since there weren't that many; Review response, Goooo!**

 _MrQuestionMark:_ So I nailed that final boss feel, huh? Well I hope I can keep all that going, because its round two time! Millenniumon Can digivolve... but his form in that state is OP-ness that'd need a Magic God to deal with, I think. Let's go to the end, full speed ahead!

 _whwsms:_ Such is Touma's life at this point, right? Always working, no time for school... I feel like that won't change, even when he's an adult at this point! I guess the question would be at this point: Is this better or worse than dealing with High Priest-san? We're almost there!

 _Mr.X:_ If you want sudden harem shenanigans... i'm probably going to disappoint you. I don't really delve into that line... one, because I can barely make one relationship feel believable, let alone multiples with different girls. And two... there are already plenty of harem authors around who can do those stories ten times better than I ever could. It's time to break the mold! As for NT22: I'm waiting until its fully translated to jump in... but I have been keeping on eye on some of the developments, and they sound juicy...!

 _Stitches:_ Millenniummon is one tough customer! Time spot, Overwhelming power, summoning... big guy has it all! But inside his body and during the right circumstances, he has one pretty big weakness... and you'll see what that is!

 **With those done... Let's get to it! Enjoy!**

* * *

"I-inside it!?" Touma repeated the researcher's claim back to him.

"Yes, indeed!" Suedou replied with a noticeable uptick in his tone. "Before you cry in horror at the thought of being chewed to bits, I refer to of course inside the Eater network! Like EDEN and your usual internet, the entirety of the Eater network is a collection of information highways numbering in the millions! Inside is where the core unit of this Millenniummon resides!"

"S-so I somehow have to find my way inside the damn thing, and then I have to search through an infinitely large maze for it…? Such misfortune." The unlucky Kamijou sulked.

"It won't be hard; the core sticks out like a sore thumb, though it might be a challenge to silence it in of itself. Locating it will be child's play by comparison."

"That does not make me feel better!"

"Besides… your method inside is to your left." The human trapped in an Eater's shell nodded lightly, or at least seemed to.

"To… my left?" Touma blinked.

"He means me," Ami spoke up. "Connect jump, right?"

"Precisely my dear! You've connect jumped with multiple people before and into Eaters, so this should be no different!" Suedou exclaimed.

"What about my right hand… I know it's a miracle that Imagine Breaker doesn't harm her, but what if it stops a connect jump? It is a supernatural ability, right?" Touma asked.

"…Then you would need a method to annihilate the entire Eater network all at once, one currently only owned by Yggdrasil, which is inaccessible to all parties at this point and time." The Eater bobbed its head lightly. "Unless you happen to have a deity of some description capable of such in the realm of magic you're familiar with?"

"…Othinus; how long would it take to forge another Gungnir?"

"Not the time for jokes, human." Othinus called out from his pocket, where she had slid into amidst the chaos.

"…Ok, so we don't have that… so it's find a way inside or the whole world is doomed?" Touma mused.

"More like the current state of reality. It eats, it grows. Soon it will take up the city, the island nation of Japan, then a continent, then the planet. Eventually, it will start reaching galactic and universal sizes as it devours all that makes up existence… I have a detailed model I can recreate for you if you want a visual." Suedou replied.

"…No thanks, I think I understand." Touma sighed.

"Don't look now, but the big guy is at it again!" Hamazura called out. Millenniummon roared loudly and began to charge ahead. Seemingly acknowledging that creating more Eaters from its body would be a waste of time, it instead decided to deal with its opponents personally.

"…So, we handling this guy or what?" Plutomon pushed itself to its feet after its momentary rest.

"You sure you're good to fight?" Omegamon asked.

"Since I'm the main opponent preventing it from stopping time and just screwing us all over, I don't have much of a choice." Plutomon stated. "Don't worry; it won't lay a hand on me this time."

"Understood. I'm sure before long the other Royal Knights will arrive, seeing as the natural state of the world should have relieved them of their charge of holding the gate open. The one positive outcome this creature has brought today." Alphamon spoke.

"Speaking of which; why did it close to begin with? Thought the plan was for them to hold it open for us." Arata asked.

"If I had to guess… they likely felt the changes starting to unfold in the area due to Millenniummon's presence, and closed it as a precautionary measure to deny it access to the Digital World, should it desire it." Omegamon replied. "But now that the digital waves have grown to such a state that it forced it open naturally…"

"We'll direct them accordingly when they arrive, should they do so. Shouldn't take them long if they are inbound, but who knows what could be keeping them." Alphamon stated. "Form a plan; we will hold the line as you prepare to act."

"Don't take too long though! We only have so much stamina!" Plutomon called out. The three digimon then flew to meet Millenniummon's charge.

"Without its Eater support, we should be able to lend a hand directly to them." Mikoto added.

"Either way; we have two keys to ripping this bastard apart, so what's the hold up?" Accelerator shouted.

"One; getting close to the monster without getting shot down…" Arata crossed his arms. "…Two; the state of Ami's body."

"H-hey! That's uncalled for! I'm fine!" Ami shouted.

"I saw you fade in and out twice since we started talking! Something's wrong!" Arata fired back.

"…What?" Touma turned to face the Cyber Sleuth. Sure enough, parts of her body began to fade in and out at random, but at a rather slow rate. Most of the time she was fine, but there was definitely something wrong.

"Ah… progressed that far?" Suedou mused. "…Likely entering Eaters, consumers of data, caused her some harm… I can confirm that at this time, the interior of the Eater network would be fine for her to exist within, however entering is something of a different story, I'm afraid."

"So… her body is breaking down or something?" Touma asked in a worried tone.

"It'll be fine… done this before! I'll be fine!" Ami tried to reassure the unlucky Kamijou.

"…But if things go wrong…!" Touma grit his teeth.

"Either way, she is your only method inside I'm afraid. It is a calculated risk." Suedou stated.

"Damn it… what the hell do we do…!?" The spiky haired teen cursed.

The flapping of wings resonated in the area.

"If a repair job is what you need… I can give it a shot." Hudiemon spoke up.

"Y-you can?" Touma asked.

"Erika was the one in charge if we ever needed an avatar disguise. Working that kind of thing was always just right up her alley." Chitose spoke up.

"And I've recently joined the ranks of digital lifeforms after studying Wormmon in detail; if your avatar's existence is even remotely similar, I should be able to do something." Hudiemon added.

"If you need it done; leave it to her." Ryuji stated. "Don't know if she can completely fix it depending on how bad it is, but she should be able to get you ready and able to pass through whatever barrier of entry there is. Breaking into places where we're not supposed to be is a hacker's specialty, after all."

"How long will it take?" Touma asked.

"After being part of the Eater network for a time, I learned how intense the degradation is. I'll inform you when she is ready." Hudiemon answered.

With time not on their side, Touma could only watch as the conflict unfolded, waiting for the chance to act.

Omegamon and Alphamon slammed their respective blades into two of Millenniummon's arms, slicing off the monster's hands in the process. Despite that, this was followed by it raising its second set of limbs up and punching the two royal knights, sending them flying into the air.

The monster's attack left itself open for a brief moment, as Plutomon flew in from below, striking at Millenniummon's neck with **Styx Killer** , clawing it out. It stepped back, feeling the missing piece of its body before Plutomon followed his assault up with **Schwarz Strahl** , burning a hole into its chest.

Despite his efforts, the wounds Millenniummon had received were already starting to heal. Its hands were regenerating and the hole in its chest was starting to close at a rapid rate.

In spite of this, these three were hardly the only ones fighting.

"Apollomon! **Phoebus Blow!"** Hamazura shouted.

"QueenChessmon! **Grand Cricket!"** Mikoto ordered.

Apollomon came from the left while QueenChessmon charged from the right. They both unleashed their respective attacks onto Millenniummon's head, aiming for the eyes as they collided. The monster howled in pain and staggered back, even as it was recovering.

Watching on, Accelerator clicked his teeth.

"Fuck this; when you're ready to go, just do it." He spoke.

"E-eh? What are you-!?" Touma called out, but a shockwave rippled out as Accelerator charged ahead with his battery active.

Slamming into Millenniummon's body with enough force to launch the colossus up into the air with a sudden kick to the chest.

"…Holy crap he's one tough cookie…" Chitose frowned. "Why didn't he get involved from the start?"

"He has limited energy on that battery to connect him to the network that grants him access to his Esper ability due to his brain damage, so he has to time is very carefully; I think he only has a half hour with it." Touma replied. "If it's gotten that bad that he feels he needs to use it now, then…"

"Kamijou; it's done."

"R-really!?" Touma called out.

Ami has been standing still while Hudiemon worked, appearing nervous during the operation.

"…Ok, I'll admit it; I was feeling a little woozy for a while… I probably still would have been fine though." Ami crossed her arms.

"Better safe than sorry. I don't want to know what happens if your body falls apart in transit." Arata frowned.

"So we're good to go, right?" Touma asked.

"She should be good for a dive into the Eater Network… though you'll need a way to get in close in order to Connect Jump into it at all." Hudiemon replied.

"As if you even need to ask!" Hiraku spontaneously joined the conversation with a large grin. "GranKuwagamon and I are pretty fast and agile; if you need to get in close, we're the boys to talk to!"

"So we have a way to travel, a way to get close… so just hop on in, find the core, and introduce it to my right hand…" Touma took a deep breath. "…With the entire world on the line."

"You won't be doing it alone; I'll be with you the whole time!" Ami stated.

"…Excuse me, em…" Keisuke approached the Cyber Sleuth.

"Aiba Ami is my name." She blinked.

"Y-yeah, Aiba-san… exactly how many people can you Connect Jump with?" Keisuke asked.

"Do you… want to come with us?" Touma asked.

"Yeah… that's the short version…" The Hudie hacker rubbed the back of his neck. "…This whole time I've been with Hudie, I've been unwittingly silent on people suffering… people that I'd call now my best friends. Ryuji… Erika… and my childhood friend Yu… all going through things impossible to imagine and only able to get involved when they were all close to the brink… but not anymore! I'm not going to stand by and watch another one of my friends fight without doing something!"

Touma's eyes widened, but he eventually began to smile.

"…Aiba-san, can you Connect Jump with two stragglers like us?" He asked.

"As if I could say no after an outburst like that!" Ami replied with a grin.

"Man… our little Keisuke is growing up so fast…!" Chitose cried.

"Oh shut it, will you!?" The Hudie hacker fired back, not enjoying being made fun of.

"Keisuke," Ryuji called out. "…It goes without saying, but Kamijou is an associate of ours. He might not be a member, but a comrade is a comrade. Make sure you bring him back safely, even if you have to drag him, got it?"

"I'll stay behind, Keisuke," Hudiemon spoke. "I don't know what you will face, but those fighting out here will need every ounce of support they can get… that said; come safely… for me."

"…Got it; I'll give it everything I got!" Keisuke replied with a determined look, appearing eager to charge in.

"So me, Aiba-san, and Amazawa-san…" Touma mused. "…Before we go, I have one thing to take care of."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny magic god.

"H-hey! Put me down human!" Othinus cried out.

"Index; think you can watch her for me? Don't want her falling out and getting lost in an infinite network; finding her then would be a pain." Touma asked, handing the tiny woman off to the silver haired nun.

"…Touma, you'll be back, won't you?" Index asked.

The spiky haired teen paused for a moment before responding.

"…If I do, will you be waiting for me?" He asked.

"Yes; of course!" Index replied hastily.

"That's all I needed to hear." Touma smiled. "I'll be back, even if I have to crawl out of the monster's mouth! Just hold on a little longer and this will all be over!"

"Stay safe, Touma!" The silver haired nun called out. Touma walked forward, approaching Hiraku and his GranKuwagamon. As he did so, he walked past his Dorugoramon and looked up.

"…You ready for this, big guy?" Touma asked.

Dorugoramon made a motion akin to popping his knuckles, despite only having claws instead of fingers, before making a smirk.

"…Then hop into my Digivice; it's going to get bumpy!" Touma called out.

Dorugoramon vanished, returning to his partner as the unlucky Kamijou climbed up GranKuwagamon for the ride with Hiraku doing the same to lead, along with Ami and Keisuke to finish the attack force. Keisuke's TyrantKabuterimon also returned to its partner's Digivice, preparing to travel.

They were going to have only one shot at sneaking their way into the Eater network, so they had to make it count.

"Alright, I'm going to ram GranKuwagamon right into its stomach; getting that close should be good enough, right?" Hiraku called out.

"D-don't we have a more stealthy way of getting close to it!?" Keisuke called out.

"Not unless you want to risk getting stepped on! Landing on the bastard is out too because we might be hit by friendly fire! Best to ram and try to stun it a little over getting crushed or shot!" Hiraku fired back.

"If that's what we have to do, then do it!" Ami called out. "Kamijou-san, Amazawa-san; please keep your hands on me; you'll need make contact with me to connect jump!"

"You got it! Fukutsuwa-san; let's go!" Touma ordered.

"Hold on to your everything! This is going to be a bumpy ride!" The wind mage called out as GranKuwagamon took to the air, charging ahead.

Omegamon, who had been sent flying back after another rough attack from Millenniummon, turned and saw GranKuwagamon's rapid approach toward the monster.

"…Alphamon! Plutomon! They've begun their approach!" The white knight called out.

"Understood! Pile it on, everyone!" Alphamon called out, unleashing a barrage of green beams in the process.

All those with a ranged option unleashed their respective attacks all at once, hammering the monster from afar to force its attention away from the charging insect. The only ones relenting from assault were QueenChessmon due to a lack of a projectile option, and Accelerator, who noticed something odd.

Millenniummon was focused on its attackers for sure; where its eyes were concentrated verified that. However, rather than retaliate directly, the cannons on its back were aimed upward.

They fired a set of blasts high into the sky, far above where its opponents where.

"What the hell is it trying to pull…!?" Leivinia cursed.

The two balls of energy circled around each other as they traveled, until they eventually collided high in the sky. Then a brilliant flash rippled out, but it persisted and actually appeared to be dropping down.

What looked like a bright light was actually a collection of seemingly infinite attacks raining from the heavens into the section of the city.

" **Dimension… Destroyer…!"** Millenniummon spoke.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Omegamon called out.

"Do your best to protect the humans!" Alphamon added. The fighting digimon scrambled as the attack proceeded to land. Some fired into the air to intercept the incoming stream of attacks, while others used their bodies and what defensive abilities they had to protect their respective partners.

While GranKuwagamon ran the gauntlet, doing its best to avoid the burning sky.

"Is this what you meant by a bumpy ride!?" Ami yelled.

"God damn it; I hate bullet hell games!" Hiraku cried out.

"Getting Othinus Crossbow flashbacks here!" Touma called out.

"That sounds terrifying just based on how you said it! What exact kind of fresh hell have you been suffering through all your life!?" Keisuke shouted.

The insect digimon bobbed and weaved through the raining energy blasts. One shot managed to hit GranKuwagamon in the side, but the insectoid digimon proved hardy enough as it pressed on despite the damage.

Using all of its strength to deliver a stunning blow, unleashed a powerful **Dimension Scissor** attack when it got close enough, hammering it right into Millenniummon's stomach.

"W-we did it! We made it-"

Suddenly, a set of hands came from below GranKuwagamon, slamming into it and launching it into the air.

"Daaaaaaammmmmmmmnnnnnnn iiiiiiiitttttttt aaaaaallllllll!" Hiraku shouted.

Millenniummon had been able to hide lowering a set of its arms behind the all-encompassing attack, while simultaneously raising its other with its hands clenched together, ready to slam down on the group as they flew.

But just as it would attack, a decisive blow to the right side of its head paused the assault.

"Hey you piece of shit… keep your god damn eyes on the enemy in front of you!" Accelerator called out as he slammed his foot into Millenniummon's face.

The group flew through the air, suddenly ejected from their ride. Keisuke managed to grab ahold of one of Ami's arms, but Touma was just too far away. Despite this, both parties tried to reach for one another, trying to turn in the air to reach each other.

After a sudden gust of wind pushed the unlucky Kamijou closer, he managed to grab ahold of the Cyber Sleuth with his left hand.

Surprised, Touma turned back to see Hiraku flying, reeling and spinning one arm at the same time; he was preparing something big.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Hiraku flung his arm, unleashing a blast of wind towards the group, aiming for Ami to propel her forward to reach their mark. With the sudden propulsion, Ami closed her eyes, doing everything she could to focus on her ability; they'd only have one shot.

A small rift opened up on Millenniummon's skin. Almost instantly, the bodies of all three stretched out into the portal, vanishing immediately after.

By all appearances, they appeared to have succeeded.

"They made it! Finally, something goes right! Take that you ugly mother fucker!" Hamazura boasted.

"…Hamazura; Apollomon went down." Leivinia deadpanned.

"…Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me!" The dirty blond shouted.

"What should we do now? Clear the area and wait?" Omegamon asked.

"…I don't think it will be that easy." Alphamon replied. "Plus, we must keep this monster's power scale in check. If we let it rampage without forcing it to divert its energy absorption, its strength will spiral out of control."

"So what we have to do is pretty obvious, right?" Plutomon asked.

"That's right." The black knight replied.

Millenniummon was checking its body, trying to figure out what had happened. Growing frustrated, it began to roar wildly and charge ahead once more.

"…Give it hell!"

 **-Inside-**

"Ow! My head!" Touma called out, having landed face first shortly after entering the network.

"Is everyone ok?" Ami called out.

"Ugh… little bit of motion sickness, but I'll be fine in a minute." Keisuke replied, standing up as he spoke. Ami had landed on her back and began pushing herself up, feeling the grass in-between her fingers as she did so.

Wait a minute… grass?

"What… the…!?" Ami began to speak before looking around.

The entire area was a lush grassland with a bright blue sky. Some structures appeared in the distance, and more appeared to form as they observed the horizon. There were some small hills here and there, but otherwise it appeared to be mostly flat.

"W-what the hell happened here?" Keisuke called out.

"…I'm going to go on a limb and say this place isn't supposed to look like this…" Touma blinked as he dusted himself off upon climbing to his feet.

"No way… before, it was just a black and white void with only two directions you could go…" Ami gazed in awe. "But… now it's an open field? And the direction constraint has been unlocked?"

"So the big guy has been redecorating, huh…?" Touma mused. "Wonder whHYYYYY!?" He tried to walk forward, but only after a few steps, he tripped over something.

Upon looking back, he found that his foot had caught on someone's body.

"E-eh!? A dead body lying out in the field!?" Touma shouted and scuttled away. It looked like a male doctor of some kind, likely from the hospital. Keisuke ran over to check the man and to help Touma up after, but discovered something when he checked the man's neck.

"…I got a pulse!" Keisuke stated, immediately moving his hand to the man's nose. "And he's breathing! I don't know who he is, but he's alive!"

"But he didn't react when Kamijou-san tripped over him?" Ami asked. Keisuke snapped his fingers a few times in front of the man's face, even going as far as to pinch and pull on his cheeks.

"He's alive, but totally out of it. Though if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was just sleeping." Keisuke reported.

"…Oh what I wouldn't give to be able to sleep like that…" Touma sighed. "That bathtub hurts sometimes…"

"…Why do you sleep in a bathtub?" Keisuke asked.

"Stories for another time." Touma concluded. "This is weird, but we have a core to find. We can gawk at the locals later."

They pressed on, noticing more bodies lying rather peacefully in the soft grass as they did so. It would appear that those unfortunate enough to fall victim to the monster's onslaught were not killed, or at the very least somehow saved from their fate. Each one rested somewhere in the network… so Millenniummon was preserving each casualty of its rampage… but why?

Touma paused when he found a particular body.

"…Hey, Keisuke? You said that Erika became Hudiemon, right?" He asked.

"It's a bit confusing, with a ghost of her memories fusing with Wormmon, but yeah, why?" Keisuke blinked.

Touma pointed toward the edge of one of the small hills, and there a particular body was lying.

"E-Erika!?" Keisuke stuttered and raced over, holding her body up.

"Any idea what she's doing here?" Touma asked.

"W-when she got attacked and assimilated by those Eaters, we went in to save her, but by the time we reached her though it was too late and the assimilation was complete, so the best we could do was put it down…" Keisuke explained. "…I thought she would have been completely lost… but I guess her data remained in some form and became one with the memory core…?"

"How is she then?" Touma asked.

"Just like the others… comatose but alive…" Keisuke laid Erika down and stood up.

"Guessing we'd probably find Yuugo somewhere in here if our side of things didn't already save him…" Ami added. "…Maybe my body too?"

"Want to try and find it?" Touma asked.

"Yeah… but we have business first. I've been functioning just fine for now, so let's finish up before worrying about that kind of thing." Ami stated.

"Actually… I've been following behind you guys until now… and Aiba-san, you haven't glitched out in a while." Keisuke stood up.

"I… haven't?" The Cyber Sleuth asked, giving herself a once over.

"Yeah… now that you mention it…" Touma crossed his arms. "…Hudiemon couldn't have worked that fast and got a full restore, could she of?"

"Even then, there'd be some degradation due to passing through into the Eater network at all…" Ami replied.

"…Maybe it's the server itself? It does seem to be catering to EDEN Syndrome victims… I don't know the state of your body, but it sounds like you were separated from your real one at some point? If you caught EDEN Syndrome, maybe the system here sees you as a resident and patched you up?" Keisuke suggested.

"…That is both convenient and freaky…" Ami stated, giving herself a second look over.

"Either way, we should get going." Touma suggested. "I think we need a fixed direction to go. Random wandering around won't get us anywhere."

"Could shoot for those building forming out of the ground." Keisuke put his hands into his pockets. "Shot in the dark; something could be over there making them."

"Well… it's the only real landmark we have… can't hurt to try it, I suppose." Touma shrugged. The three began to march toward the forming structures. It actually appeared to be a far distance away, as five minutes went by and they didn't look any closer. However, they were starting to find more forms of vegetation as various plant life became visible. Mostly flowers, but eventually small fruits and vegetables appeared.

The deeper they went in, the more signs of life there were. No animals yet, but plenty of plants, and even a few lakes and rivers.

They came to a stop upon arriving at the first fully-grown tree they came across. It appeared to be a tall but simple apple tree, laden with fresh fruit practically begging to be plucked.

"…Anyone else getting the vibe that all of this is less than random?" Keisuke asked.

"Like this is meant for people to live in? Yeah; been getting that for a while." Touma frowned.

The group eyed the tree for a moment before deciding to walk past, the circumstances growing more and more unsettling as they moved forward.

"…But why make all of this?" Ami asked. "Why destroy everything on the outside… just to remake it all in this network?"

"Oh, that's because he's doing it for me."

A fourth voice rang from behind the trio. They quickly turned around to find a certain someone standing at the base of the tree with a calm smile on his face.

Samson Ainsworth.

"…Apple?" The former cabal boss reached up into the tree behind him and pulled a piece of fruit from its branches.

"W-what kind of introduction is that!? No!" Touma shouted.

"Eh, suit yourself." Samson shrugged, promptly taking a bite. "Don't know what you're missing though, they're really good."

"Cut the crap, what the hell are you up to!?" Touma shouted.

"Enjoying the new world? What else would I be doing?" Samson replied. "Have to say, the big guy is pulling out all the stops for me."

"…So you're not behind this thing? It's all Millenniummon?" Touma frowned.

"That's right; he was the key, just like I said from the start!" The former cabal boss stated. "Just like I said during all those old fights we got into! He was the key; the definition that meant I was on the right path! I know that there has been some bad blood between us, but now that you can see the world I was trying to make, you can see what I meant, right? I understand now that all my rambling might have been like listening to the crazed words of a mad man… I never showed you what I meant; I couldn't. But now… I can! This is it!"

"This is… you paradise?" Keisuke asked.

"Well, it's still under construction as you can see." Samson replied. "As said in the bible, it took even the almighty three days to forge the world… but when it's complete, you'll understand and see it all! My grand design!"

"So… what? Drag everyone here against their will?" Touma frowned.

"There is a little bit of forceful encouraging, yes, but! I assure you that once they arrive, they will be more than happy with their accommodations." Samson spoke.

"And what about those people perfectly fine with their current lives? The ones you'd be upending by bringing them here?" Touma argued.

"Well, we give them a better one. Simple, right?"

"And who decides what's better for them? You?" Touma pressed on. "You can't go around like you can make those kinds of decisions for people!"

"…I assume this paradise Millenniummon has crafted is not like the one you witnessed?" Samson asked.

"Why does it always come back to that!?" Touma shouted. "What is with this obsession? I get it; you want a paradise, so go make your own! You don't have to drag everyone else along with you!"

"And not share the magnificence of it all? Surely you're joking?" The former cabal boss argued. "This is absolute perfection, and you expect me to just leave my human brothers and sisters behind in mediocrity? No, no, no; this might be my paradise, but it's here for all to enjoy!"

"What about those people who won't enjoy it then!? The people whose lives are already fine as is!? You're trying to save people who don't need saving!" The spiky haired teen shouted.

"If they don't like it, we'll make them like it! The funny thing about having effective control of everything in the space allotted is that literally anything is possible." Samson replied. "Even if a few people need… persuading, they'll all like it here, eventually."

"You mean to tell me that if someone objects, you'll just beat them down until they submit!?" Ami yelled.

"Not quite like that… just a few tweaks to their perception and everything will be fine." Samson took another bite of his apple. "You'd be surprised how easy it will be once everything is in place. Control of what their eyes and ears see and hear… it's not perfect yet, as everyone needs to be registered in the network through its absorption process… unlike you three. But don't worry; we can change that."

"…This is beyond just wanting a perfect place; you've come full circle and see yourself as some kind of god, don't you?" Touma grit his teeth. "A tyrannical ruler whose law is absolute and intends to break everyone who say otherwise. Who the hell wants to live in a world like that!?"

"As long as everyone ends up content and happy, what the hell does it matter?" Samson argued. "…Either way, having ideological arguments with you is pointless… for you see; I'm not the one running the show… he is."

The sky immediately blackened, though everything still appeared as though the sun was high in the sky. Samson's body began to distort, becoming something akin to a purple gas as a large crystal began to form, demolishing the tree behind him with ease. Samson's body flew to the center of the crystal, as two large creatures appeared to form around him. They were made of the same material that Samson had shifted into. They the curled and coiled around his body, each one lightly resembling a reptile of some kind, but otherwise appeared formless as they all seemed to merge together once fully manifested. All three had bright orange eyes with even brighter yellow slit pupils.

The newly formed creature began to speak with the voices of seemingly infinite people.

"…We are the god of this world, together as one. We are the core of this world, without us there is no form. We created the land, we bring those captured by the Eaters to safety, and we provide the methods in which all to live. We take in, and we provide. We are the saviors, you are our sworn enemy. We are MoonMillenniummon, and you will not stop the formation of this perfect paradise!"

"I'm putting a end to this right now! Dorugoramon!" Touma shouted. His partner appeared behind him with a mighty roar, charging straight toward the creature encased in crystal. He reeled his arm back and thrust it forward with all of his might.

Despite the force of the attack, the blow slid off the crystal shell around MoonMillenniummon's body. Not even a scratch was left behind.

" **Dimension Destroyer."** Beams of energy erupted from all six of the creature's eyes, passing through the crystalline structure with ease and slamming into Dorugoramon's body.

The attack was powerful, but the dragon digimon simply roared loudly after the assault had ended. It would take much more than this "god's" opening attack to put him down, it would seem. Seeing that its target was still alive, it unleashed the attack a second time, only for it to be intercepted by another digimon.

It was a large mechanical digimon, covered in green metal plating. It had an animal face, showing some biological components, resembling a rabbit. It had a gatling gun around each arm's wrist, and its overly large shoulders appeared to carry massive missiles, each one decorated with a cartoonish rabbit face.

The digimon took the attack with relative ease, barely sliding back after the impact.

"MegaGargomon! Light him up!" Ami shouted. The heavily armored green digimon aimed its arms forward as the gatling guns began to spin. At the same time, two segments of its breastplate opened up, revealing a variety of small missile launchers. Both weapons began to open fire, the sounds of gunshots and explosions echoing in the area as a result.

However, this too was fruitless. Each bullet bounced off, and the missiles barely left a mark on the crystalline structure, much less dealing any damage to it.

"You waste your time, you miserable jesters!" MoonMillenniummon rushed forward, intending to slam the full force of its body into MegaGargomon.

"MetalSeadramon! **Ultimate Stream!"** Keisuke shouted. A large metallic serpent with a large cannon on its snout appeared next to the Hudie hacker. The cannon erupted with a blue light as a large beam of energy was unleashed, slamming into MoonMillenniummon. This also failed to cause it harm, but the force of the attack was more than enough to send its charge off course, veering off to the left harmlessly.

It turned toward the metal serpent in order to attack, but found its shell suddenly wrapped up in a large vine covered in thorns.

"Rosemon! **Thorn Whip!"** Ami called out. A tall female digimon in a red bodysuit and white cape, with a rose flower covering most of its head, pulled on the massive vine and spun MoonMillenniummon around. "And to follow it up; HiAndromon! **Atomic Ray!"** A large cybernetic humanoid appeared next as energy gathered in its two shoulders, only to form into a ball of electricity and drop down in front of it. The cybernetic digimon thrust its arms forward and the ball transformed into a solid beam that slammed into MoonMillenniummon, ejecting it from Rosemon's whip.

The crystalized monster bounced on the ground several times after the impact, but suddenly regained control of its momentum and came rushing back in, only to be grabbed mid-transit by another digimon. It looked akin to a pro wrestler of some description, dressed in black with spiked shoulder guards, wearing a white scarf around its neck. The most unusual thing about it was the large volcano sprouting from its back.

"Hold him down, PileVolcamon!" Keisuke ordered. "TyrantKabuterimon! Let him have it!" The wrestler digimon's hands clammed down on MoonMillenniummon's crystal shell as TyrantKabuterimon appeared, flying straight toward. Its eyes began to shine, and shortly after it unleashed its **Shine of Bee** attack, blanketing the entire area in an explosive orange flame, engulfing both digimon.

PileVolcamon appeared capable of enduring the flames, but so was MoonMillenniummon. Not even TyrantKabuterimon's signature attack was enough to even leave a mark on its crystal shell. The figures turned around inside of it and unleashed **Dimension Destroyer** straight into PileVolcamon, forcing the wrestler digimon to release the ghastly monster.

"Just as I said; you waste your time!" MoonMillenniummon spoke. "You cannot break this shell, you miserable louts! Even if you have some strength behind your measly attacks, this shell will render all assaults moot!"

"Keep spouting bullshit; there's always a weakness!" Touma shouted back. "I don't care if I have to try smashing through with my bare hands; we're not going to let you get away with this!"

"If you wish to save that wretched, sinful world, then by all means try for as long as you like!" MoonMillenniummon retorted. "We are a god; for us, time is infinite. We can spend as much time playing with you dregs as you desire! If throwing yourself into the pits of hell is what you want, I'll gladly-"

Just then, the crystal shell around its body mysteriously shattered.

 **-Outside-**

Most of the buildings had been leveled due to the sheer number of blasts that rained from the sky. Those engaged in combat could only hope that the people within had escaped in time, but they had little time to grieve; they had a job to do if they wished to halt bloodshed.

"Come on! Keep hitting him!" Hamazura shouted.

"Give it everything you got, Goldramon!" Leivinia ordered.

Apollomon was back on its feet, unleashing a torrent of red flames to combine with Goldramon's old golden fire. The two waves intertwined and collided with Millenniummon's body, engulfing it in pure heat. However, two blasts fired from the monster's cannons and struck both of them, exploding on contact.

Omegamon and Plutomon flew low from opposite sides, intending to slash the monster apart. Unfortunately, Millenniummon swung its arms around and swatted them aside, sending them flying into the remains of the district around them.

Accelerator clicked his teeth, landing next to the group still fighting.

"Hey; how much time you got left for that thing?" Hamazura asked.

"Ten minutes, tops." Accelerator frowned. "I can knock it back each time it tries to advance, but any more than that and I'll run out."

"Fucking hell… can you have the railgun recharge it or something!?" Leivinia shouted.

"It's a sophisticated system; if that worked I'd just have the bitch on my back and running around with infinite power and knock the fucker around like a rag doll!" The number one esper answered.

"Incoming!" Mikoto called out, unleashing her electricity to pull various debris to intercept incoming projectiles from Millenniummon.

"Diablomon!" Arata called out. **"Catastrophe Cannon!** Let's go!"

A hellish looking digimon, strongly resembling some kind of demon, manifested in front of Arata. Its skin was brown and its armor plating was dark purple and each of its limbs where incredibly long. It wore a horned helmet with orange hair coming from within, and its eyes held multiple colors, looking hysterical.

A green sphere on its chest lit up before unleashing numerous orange blasts like a machinegun to intercept the incoming projectiles, ripping through them as the barrage continued, bombarding Millenniummon from a distance.

"Holy shit; you had that this whole time!?" Hamazura shouted.

"Waiting for the right moment! This isn't exactly the kind of opponent you can take down by unleashing everything all at once, you know!"

Millenniummon watched the enemy camp as it gathered its strength once again. Hudiemon was healing the digimon it managed to take down so they could rejoin the fight, taking on a support role. The monster tried to gun her down, but its attempts were intercepted each time; they wouldn't let their source of healing vanish so easily. Chitose's Shakkoumon and Ryuji's Justimon looked ready to rejoin the fight, and the monster welcomed it.

Regardless of its clear superiority though… something was wrong… where was that black knight digimon? The one that had removed its head. Millenniummon looked around in confusion, noticing a missing opponent.

" **Kyukyoku Senjin Ouryuken!"**

The voice came from above. Alphamon had taken to the sky over the monster and dropped down, bringing its blade down and tearing through Millenniummon's body, effectively cutting him in half.

 **-Inside-**

"What happened… to the outside body…!? Why now of all time!?" MoonMillenniummon groaned.

"The outside body…?" Touma questioned, confused by the sudden event.

None of their attacks even scratched the crystal, yet it randomly shattered of its own accord? Moreover, it was showing concern for the Millenniummon in the real world? Why? Wasn't it effectively immortal at this point?

While Touma was asking questions, someone else decided to take the opportunity to act.

HiAndromon! **Atomic Ray!"** Ami ordered. Once more, the robotic digimon unleashed wave of electricity. This time though, there was no walls around it to impede the attacks advance as it collided with the ghastly digimon.

MoonMillenniummon howled in pain, being struck for the first time in its existence.

This did not go unobserved by the professional hacker in the area.

"MetalSeadramon! **Ultimate Stream!"** Keisuke called out. The mechanical serpent roared out, unleashing a powerful wave of blue energy from its nose cannon. The two waves hammered against MoonMillenniummon's body as it cried out in pain, a collection of screams unexpected from such a terrifying creature.

Yet, just as quickly as the crystal barrier vanished, it suddenly returned once more, blocking their respective attacks. The monster panted, clearly still reeling from the assault.

"You… insolent… whelps!" MoonMillenniummon growled.

"So it just comes and goes at random…?" Keisuke asked.

"I don't know; he seemed pretty shocked to be defenseless." Ami spoke. "It seems like that's its one line of defense and it doesn't like being hit, that's for sure."

"…I think I have an idea." Touma stated. "That thing commented that something happened to its outer body… Alphamon managed to deal a fatal blow before it regenerated, right? What if that happened again?'

"So… when the outer body dies, it becomes vulnerable?" Ami stated.

"In other words, we hold out until the barrier drops, and then hit it with everything we got!" Keisuke suggested.

"You think that an occasional window of opportunity will grant you any favors!?" MoonMillenniummon screeched. "Cling to whatever hope you can muster; once I have torn you asunder, my victory will be at hand! **Death Crystal!"**

Several waves fired off from the monster's body. As the attack traveled, the ground below was cut and what plant life existing suddenly turned sickly, as if their life essence had been suddenly ripped apart.

"I don't think anyone wants to get hit by that!" Touma called out. The group and their digimon scattered as Touma held out his right hand to defend himself. The attack collided with Imagine Breaker and shattered harmlessly, and thus the group moved to do what they could to counter attack.

All they could do was wait for the right opportunity.

 **-Outside-**

"I don't think it's going to let me cut it again!" Alphamon called out, parrying a blast attack from Millenniummon.

"In that case, we just need to force an opening!" Omegamon replied, firing its **Garuru Cannon** into the monster's face.

"Got a plan to do that, bossman!?" Plutomon asked.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" Omegamon retorted, putting its gun-arm down to reflect a retaliatory strike with its **Grey Sword.**

"Fucking hell… best we can do distract the bastard at this point…!" Hamazura cursed.

"That might be what we need to do; if we get its attention, it gives those three an opportunity." Ryuji stated.

"So we need to make a bigger distraction of ourselves… how do we go about doing that?" Arata questioned.

"Millenniummon is already a fearsome digimon… but with its rise in power, even Mega level digimon will soon be pointless. Forcing it to divert its energy consumption to regeneration has largely mitigated this but…" Calumon trailed off.

As they spoke, someone who had been knocked aside not that long ago charged ahead, how that he had been healed.

"Eyes on me you son of a bitch!" Hiraku roared as he flew, charging right into Millenniummon's eye and punching it with his fist engulfed in a whirlwind. The monster cried out in pain, but reached up and smacked the wind mage back into the ground. He bounced several times and landed on all fours.

He managed to stay conscious, likely due to a defensive spell and pure adrenalin, and charged right back in again.

"…Look at that hot blooded bastard go, huh?" Leivinia commented.

"I really wish he'd stop doing that; I keep having to heal him each time he reaches the point that he can't move anymore, and its getting annoying." Hudiemon sighed.

"How is his digimon? GranKuwagamon, was it?" Nokia asked with a frown.

"It's been back to normal for a while; I think he recalled it is all." The humanoid butterfly digimon replied. "Probably because it is strictly a physical attacker… or that it'd just be easier for him to recover rather than his partner."

"How long until we're all good to go again?" Hamazura asked.

"A few more minutes… healing so many takes time…" Hudiemon shook her head.

"Pain in my ass… I can hold it off a fair bit, but if we lose any one of those big three, we're done for." Accelerator cursed.

It was true; they were fighting a losing battle. Millenniummon healed from every injury, even after being decapitated or sliced in two. The opposing side had a healer in Hudiemon, but it was nowhere close to the monster's recovery speed.

Still, determined to give it everything he has, Hiraku charged ahead time and time again.

On his next charge, Millenniummon grabbed ahold of the wind mage. Rather than crush or devour him, the monster instead held him close to its face.

"…Why… do you… persist…?" It asked.

"To save the god damn world, what the hell do you think!?" Hiraku fired back, struggling against the monster's grip.

"The… world… is… doomed…" Millenniummon spoke slowly. "I… am not… its end… it… will… die… people… will… die… I… take in… I save… I am… the answer… why do you… resist… salvation?"

"You call being eaten by you salvation!? Just how twisted are you!?" Hiraku shouted.

"I make… paradise. I consume… I create… inside…" The monster spoke again. "World… is doomed… so I make… new world… consume old… create new… I give… everything… I provide… everything… I create… perfection…"

"Perfection my ass! You call what you're doing perfection!? Let go of me so I can kick your teeth in!" Hiraku continued to struggle.

"You… not want… perfection? You… not want… paradise…? I give… everything… I make… dreams possible… tell me… what is… your… desire…?"

"You can't, you hear me!?" The wind mage barked. "Can you bring my sister back!? Can you do that, huh!? Can you resurrect the fucking dead!?"

Millenniummon opened its mouth to speak, but suddenly closed again, silenced.

"I'm not doing this for me; my ideal is something I can't do. It's something nobody can do! For me, all I'd want is my sister back, god damn it!" Hiraku shouted.

His struggling slowed, appearing to grow tired of constantly using all of his strength to try to break free.

"But I can't do that… I can't resurrect the dead, and I don't know anyone who can either… it's out of my hands…" He shook his head. "…But that doesn't mean I don't want to make this world better for other people! I'm not the only one here, you son of a bitch! This just isn't my world; it's our world! The one we raised up together! And you, thinking that you know what's better, wants to tear that all away!? I want to make it better; not abandon it and start over!"

"You… cannot win… I will… not allow… it…!" Millenniummon's grip began to tighten around the wind mage to crush him. "I devour… this world… I devour… digital world… I devour… all worlds! I take all… to paradise!"

"It's… not just me… that's fighting you bastard…!" Hiraku grunted in pain. "It's everyone… fighting for their futures… in their own way! You think you can just… rip that apart!? Because you feel like it…!? I have news for you, pal…! You're not just fighting me… you're not just fighting a small group… you're fighting every single god damn person on this entire planet!"

A blast of energy suddenly struck Millenniummon's hand, hitting it hard enough to force it to release Hiraku. He began to fall, but someone dashed out to catch him.

It was a certain female subordinate from Machina Revolution, one that would be commonly seen around him.

"V-Veronica!?"

"You choose now to remember my name, you asshole!?" She shouted as she ran.

"Y-you know I'm bad with names!"

"You remember that Kamijou's name just fine!"

"That's different!"

"Elaborate how! How is remembering a guy's name harder than a girl's!? You want me to beat the shit out of you while you're being saved!?" Veronica stated. "Just shut up and hold on; I have someone who can fix you up."

"…Did everyone come…?"

"…More than everyone." The woman spoke as she ran back to a group of people to Millenniummon's right.

True; the full force of Machina Revolution had come out… but it wasn't just them.

Climbing over the surrounding rubble, hundreds of people began to pour in. Men, women, children, elderly; it didn't matter if they were a hacker or not; this monster was attacking their home. If they had the power, they were going to fight back. Numerous digimon all hovered over them as well, ranging from all digivolution levels and types. They felt the call to battle, just as much as the humans did.

Truly, the monster known as Millenniummon was fighting the world itself.

"Holy crap…" Hamazura looked around. "…Talk about an army. Makes sense that it pissed all these people off.

"…I don't know if it will be enough…" Calumon stated.

"It better be; that's about all the people that can probably do something at the moment." A female voice called from behind the group, walking closer.

"…Fei!? Is that you!?" Nokia exclaimed.

"More or less; been out of the hospital for a while, so I didn't get crushed by that thing." She crossed her arms. "Me and TigerVespamon, Sakuyamon, and Phoenixmon want in on this too, yeah? You better not hog all the fun."

"Did you gather all these people…?" Ryuji asked.

"Not a chance; some are from Zaxon, some aren't… if I had to guess, everyone probably heard of the destruction happening to the city, and felt like they should do something. So we naturally joined up with each other as we made our way here." Fei crossed her arms.

"This is good… more firepower is better… but do we have enough…?" Arata crossed his arms.

Fei smirked lightly.

"I don't know for sure… but there were a particular set of folks we came across who might tip the scales a little bit…!"

Millenniummon roared as the digimon from all directions began to attack. Most of the assault was but an annoyance, but an assault from all sides was far from desirable. It aimed its cannons upward for another Dimension Destroyer attack to eliminate them all.

" **Shining V Force!"**

" **Plasma Shot!"**

A giant beam in the shape of a V suddenly burned a hole right into Millenniummon's chest, disrupting its attack. This was followed by a sudden barrage of yellow spheres of energy, each one exploding on contact.

In the air, two more digimon hovered, overlooking the area.

"UlforceVeedramon! Magnamon!" Omegamon called out. These two were fellow Royal Knights. One resembling a humanoid in white and blue armor with two bracelets, each emitting blades of energy with a cape that greatly resembled a set of wings, while the other appeared more akin to a reptile, covered in golden armor, and appeared to be shorter than his partner was.

"We came as soon as we could; the others are off recruiting more support." Magnamon spoke.

"Rina is doing the same… you won't believe how much convincing it took to get her to do that; she wanted to march right up to this thing and punch it…" UlforceVeedramon shook its head.

"Sounds like your partner is an interesting one, for sure." Alphamon chuckled. "…So we have more backup on the way along with rest of our surviving brethren…"

"So… that means we're going to win?" Hamazura asked.

"It means we have a chance." Omegamon replied.

"Plutomon; be sure not to fall behind just because we got more company." Accelerator stated.

"You got it; the dark side is going to outshine the light this time!"

"The more we damage it, the better chance we have at containing it until the plan succeeds! Let's go, everyone!" Alphamon called out, charging ahead, only to be followed by everyone else.

They all had a world to save.

 **-Inside-**

Once more, the crystal shell shattered.

"It broke down again! Let him have it TyrantKabuterimon!" Keisuke called out. The large insect erupted in fire once more as it flew close to MoonMillenniummon, engulfing it in flames. The explosive force was enough to send it flying into the air in a spinning motion.

However, that wasn't the end, as something caught it as it soared. PileVolcamon had jumped up for a follow-up attack, latching on. The volcano in its back erupted, propelling the two down as it appeared they were both going through reentry, as if they were both a pair of meteors.

It was PileVolcamon's **Volcanic Driver** technique.

A fiery explosion rippled out after the impact. After moment or two went by, PileVolcamon came flying out of the inferno, being carried and slamming into the earth by MoonMillenniummon, who was biting down into each arm. As it flew, a thorny vine wrapped around the ghastly digimon. An electric current ran through it, forcing it to release the wrestler digimon, as Rosemon pulled on the vine, heaving the monster overhead and slamming it into the ground.

Beams of energy fired as MoonMillenniummon rose from the impact, hitting targets at random with its **Dimension Destroyer.**

"What happened… what happened to the outside!?" MoonMillenniummon called out in its army of voices. "Could they… actually pressure the body this much!?"

"Looks like your time as a god is at an end, you piece of shit!" Touma called out.

"No… NO! OUR WORK IS STILL NOT COMPLETE!" The monster screamed, unleashing countless **Death Crystal** waves in all directions, forcing the group to scatter.

"Do we have enough firepower to put this thing down!?" Keisuke called out.

"Maybe, maybe not… but just beating it doesn't mean a thing…" Touma glanced down to his right hand. "…I have an idea; Ami, Keisuke! I need some covering fire!"

"You got it; MegaGargomon! Use **Burst Shot;** hit it with every gun you got!" Ami shouted.

"MetalSeadramon! Focus and hit it with **Ultimate Stream!"** Keisuke called out.

The metallic serpent unleashed a powerful beam straight into MoonMillenniummon, causing it to cry out in pain. The monster fired several beams in retaliation to end the assault, but it was quick to realize that this was just the opening gambit.

Every section and slot on MegaGargomon's body had opened up, revealing all kinds of weaponry; such as its lasers, missiles, bazookas, machine guns, flamethrowers, the list went on. Every weapon fired at once, bombarding the monster with gunfire, but the attack wasn't done.

The two gigantic missiles on its shoulders, the **Gargo Missiles,** deployed with a thunderous roar. Each one slammed into MoonMillenniummon, erupting in a set of colossal explosions large enough to engulf a small forest in fire, blanketing the entire area with thick black smoke from the bombs.

But still, the monster remained, hidden by the smoke. It was damaged yes, but it was far from dead.

Here it could prepare on attack. It had the entire inner world it had crafted at its disposal. It didn't matter if it took away from building for a time; he could reallocate the converted energy into its own power and form.

It heard a sound, firing upon it immediately without hesitation. For its efforts though, it was instead met with Dorugoramon's **Brave Metal** attack from the opposite direction.

Fire flowed freely from the dragon's hands as it viciously tore at MoonMillenniummon's body. Each blow tore and burned chunks of the monster's ghastly body apart. As the assault continued though, the two heads launched and bit down on Dorugoramon's wrists, stopping the attack in its tracks.

"You... foolish little demon!" MoonMillenniummon spoke through the humanoid body still resting between them, as its other two heads were preoccupied. "Don't think we've forgotten your face… you may change your form, but your soul is as black as always! The constant thorn in our side! But no more… first we silence you, and then we end your meddlesome master!"

Dorugoramon managed to wrest itself free from the two head's grip, but it did not retreat, instead grabbing ahold of the two heads by the neck, clamping down to prevent escape.

MoonMillenniummon struggled, but the dragon would not release them.

It was here that the monster noticed that a certain someone had climbed up from Dorugoramon's back, and now stood on his shoulder.

"…So, you think yourself as a god huh…?" Touma spoke. "An almighty ruler that everyone should just be just happy that they get to have you hovering over them deciding what they can and can't do and what they should and shouldn't want? People are just made to be changed and altered so you can force them to be happy without really doing anything for them at all!? That it's justified just to alter and control people at the fundamental level because you know what is best for everyone!?"

"You don't understand anything!" The humanoid body discharged its **Dimension Destroyer,** at the unlucky Kamijou, only for the attack to be negated by Imagine Breaker.

"I understand plenty you power hungry piece of shit! You don't want just a paradise for people to be happy; not anymore! You just want to rule and control innocent people!" Touma shouted. "I don't know when you became twisted like this, but I'm putting a stop to this right now!"

MoonMillenniummon fired again, only to miss as Touma leapt off his partner's shoulder, falling down towards the humanoid body in the center of the monster. Realizing what the spiky haired teen was doing, it tried to force the other two heads to turn and open fire as well, but Dorugoramon only pulled them further apart.

It could only use the humanoid body to attack, and each of its shots were being blocked by Touma's right arm.

"The people of the world aren't this weak, you understand me!?" Touma shouted. "We fight with everything we have just to make it by, day after day! We want to live, not be ruled over by a monster who just wants power for power's sake! None of us are going to stand by and watch as everything we worked for are torn apart by some psycho who thinks they have all the answers! If you thought for even a second that we were just going to stand by and let you get away with destroying our lives, allow me to destroy that fucked up illusion of yours!"

Touma slammed his right fist into the humanoid section's face. Almost instantly, Samson's form returned to normal and flew back, disconnecting from MoonMillenniummon. His face was twisted in pain as his nose was shattered, blood leaking profusely from the injury.

With that, the unlucky Kamijou fell down and brought his right hand down onto MoonMillenniummon.

A loud shattering sound was heard as suddenly the entire area flashed to white.

 **-Outside-**

Millenniummon's body suddenly froze in place as it was regenerating. It began to wildly twitch as it suddenly attempted to stand.

"What the hell is happening!?" Mikoto called out.

"Hey, digimon encyclopedia! What the fuck is going on!?" Leivinia demanded.

"I don't know; this has never happened before!" Calumon answered.

Sections of the monster's body began to collapse in on itself. It started slow but quickly picked up speed as more and more began to be sucked in. In mere moments, the colossal monster was reduced to the size of a baseball, before suddenly exploding into a brilliant white light that covered the entire area, soaring into the sky.

After about ten seconds, the light faded. Everywhere the ground touched now rested random people. Doctors, civilians… all victims of the event.

In the middle of it all, three people could be seen standing, surrounded by seven digimon.

"…Is that…?" Leivinia blinked.

"…About fucking time." Accelerator grunted.

"…Holy shit…! The bastards pulled it off!" Hamazura shouted.

The crowds around began to cheer, the monster that had plagued them finally vanquished. No more would they be terrorized by the menace known as Millenniummon, and more over everyone who had been devoured had returned.

Several even began to regain consciousness. A few of the EDEN Syndrome patients too, though not all of them; it appeared that the monster's claim of collecting held true, though it did not appear to have gotten ahold of everyone.

Mysteriously, Stiyl was among those who had been returned.

"Ugh… my head…" He groaned as he sat up.

"…Wait, what!? What the hell were you doing in there!?" Touma asked.

"I was following Birdway's train of logic about Samson returning to his body…" The redheaded mage spoke. "I managed to sneak inside and set-up those runes, intending to trap and interrogate the bastard… but then the roof collapsed on top of me…"

"…And you didn't tell anyone?" Touma deadpanned. "On one hand, you really need to work on your teamwork skills… on the other, you booby-trapping the room is what kept us out of it… so I'm not sure if I should be pissed or thankful…"

"Touma!" Index ran up, tackling the unlucky Kamijou's legs. The Magic God jumped out of the silver haired nun's grip and climbed up his jacket onto his shoulder.

"Drop me off before a final fight again and I'll tear off one of your ears, do you hear me, human!?" Othinus growled.

"Holy crap boss… not going to lie, you had me thinking we were going to die, you know…!?" Hamazura spoke as he approached.

"Thanks for the confidence…" Touma deadpanned. More of Touma's friends came to his side, although it was more accurate to say that the entire group had run forward, eager to ensure that their friends were right as rain.

"Ami, are you ok!?" Arata called out.

"Dizzy, but fine… I don't want to save the world anymore, you guys…" The Cyber Sleuth wined. "I just want to curl up in bed and sleep…"

"Well… it has been that kind of day…" Nokia replied. "Alright! Mission accomplished! Saved Yuuko's brother and saved the world! Talk about a Friday night, am I right!?"

"…We still need to head back and pick up Yuuko and Yuugo, don't we?" Ami stated.

On the other side, the Hudie crew gathered around their former newbie.

"So, what was it like? See anything weird? Was it a rough fight? Find any cute girls!?" Chitose questioned.

"It entirely was weird… fight was rough… and why would I be scoping out for girls at a time like that!?" Keisuke fired back.

"You fool! A man must always be attentive towards the possibility of attractive women! For all you knew, the one behind an entire scheme could just be a lonely girl looking for love!" Chitose shouted.

"…That ever happened to you?" Keisuke asked.

"No, but it's possible!" Chitose made a cheeky grin.

"…Keisuke; good work." Ryuji stated. "Goes without saying, but I'm proud."

"Yes… with Millenniummon's end, the memory core is finally dealt with… Thank you." Hudiemon spoke.

"…About that…" Keisuke crossed his arms and looked around. Upon spotting his goal, he walked over and helped a body sit up against a large piece of debris.

"E-Erika…?" Ryuji's eyed widened.

"Yeah… looks like it wasn't a total deletion when we took out the Eater that assimilated her." Keisuke explained. "Somehow, that place sorted through all the data and put her back together. I don't know if she'll wake up, but…"

Hudiemon flew closer, examining what used to be her body rather closely.

"…She'll be fine; let her sleep… there's a certain someone she'll want to see when she wakes up." The butterfly digimon spoke.

"…This is going to get confusing when that happens, isn't it?" Chitose asked.

"…No, that won't be an issue." Hudiemon spoke. "Isn't that right, Suedou?"

"Yes, that is correct." The humanoid Eater spoke as it approached. "After all is said and done, it will be a moot point; no need to concern yourselves with it."

"…You don't intend to still rewrite everything, do you?" Arata asked.

"If you do, we know where to hunt you down." Omegamon spoke up as it landed next to the group. Alphamon was not far behind, though it remained silent.

The Eater, still under the researcher's control, tilted and lowered its head for a moment.

"…No; I don't think that will be necessary." Suedou spoke. "Perhaps… I have given this world far too little credit as it is."

"What made you change your mind?" Arata asked.

"Well, I did just see an entire populace come together to take down a common enemy…" He spoke. "…But more so, I saw the clash of ideals inside the Eater network. I had a front row seat, if you will. Seeing how twisted that man's ambition had become… I think I understand just a little bit how my goal of eliminating sadness from all of existence must have appeared."

"Then that's one less thing to worry about… but all these people…" Nokia looked around. Though some people had recovered from EDEN Syndrome, most remained unconscious.

Even if they won the day, there were still people left behind in need of help.

"Yes… yes indeed… I'm afraid their collective consciousness is still absent… somewhere in here." Suedou spoke. "So many missing... not to mention delivering it… and of course the destruction caused by the Eaters and that monster… I would say the only logical course of action would be to have Yggdrasil alter causality and change it so the two sides of real and digital never crossed paths, to avoid the Eaters making contact with humanity and taking on their current forms, in addition to the restoration of the digital world."

"…You mean a phase shift?" Othinus asked.

"Is that the technical term? One last speck of knowledge before the end!" Suedou spoke in an excited tone. "Yes… alter things so that faithful day, the one with the first instance of EDEN syndrome never occurred, and reformat the Eaters to their normal states so it cannot occur again… though alterations to causality such as this would cause complications…"

"…Like what?" Keisuke asked.

"Twofold; that moment is where digimon and humans first crossed paths would be changed. It wouldn't erase either side, but it would make it so you would have never met you digital companions." The Eater spoke. "…And of course, altering the past would alter memories of the present and those involved with these events. It would be as if they never happened."

Those two points were hard to consider. Most of the people had grown attached to their digimon, and giving them up would be a tough pill to swallow.

"…You saying that it will fix everything though?" A new voice called out as Hiraku rejoined the group. He had a slight limp, showing that he hadn't recovered, but still approached regardless.

"Yes, it should. Yggdrasil can alter quite a bit with its power." Suedou replied.

Hiraku paused for a moment before he decided to reply.

"…I know my partner pretty well; he's got a fierce temper but otherwise is a nice guy." He spoke. "…And I know he would want to stay by my side, but he wouldn't want to do it at the cost of other people's happiness. So I say do it… but…"

He trailed off for a moment before looking back up with a determined expression.

"…Is there any way to make it so we can remember this… all of this?" The wind mage pleaded. "I know not everyone can remember… a lot of people did some real shit because of all of this, and some people wouldn't be able to live their lives the way they did before otherwise… but my GranKuwagamon… I might not be able to stay by his side… but I want more than anything to remember everything we've been through. I want to remember that… and I want him to be able to remember too. It might be selfish… but is there a way…?"

The humanoid Eater paused for a moment before looking around the area.

"…I have spoken with Yggdrasil here in the network; it says that you're asking for something rather… complicated." Suedou spoke.

"What this researcher is suggesting is akin to a phase shift. Changing the phases that make up the world to change the present." Othinus spoke up. "Likely, only within its own. I thought this Yggdrasil might be a Magic God of some kind, but it is likely just the ruler of the realm it resides within. If it had full control of all phases like a true Magic God, tweaking the rules would be easy and this situation would be a non-issue."

"So… you think that the digital world is a full-blown phase?" Touma asked. "One that was forcefully opened?"

"The same happened with Heaven in World War Three by Fiamma of the Right, it is likely the same." Othinus replied. "I do not know if it is exactly a phase or not, but it likely has similar properties due to being a world that runs parallel alongside this one."

"You are very astute. I would love to speak with you to prove the validity of your claim, but… time is of the essence." Suedou spoke. "After all… I do not know of how much time we have before the Mother Eater fully reawakens and takes control once more. The event with Millenniummon has halted its programming for the moment, but it could reactivate at any time."

"I'm not saying you and your computer king shouldn't re-set stuff… and if you can't that's fine…" Hiraku closed his eyes. "All that I'm asking is that you try; I might not remember who my buddy here is after the wipe… but I can't help but feel like I'd be forgetting something important if all my thoughts about him went up in smoke."

Slowly, the researcher began to laugh from within his Eater body.

"Yes, of course! Your happiness and that of your digimon have become intertwined!" He spoke. "I can understand; parting with a loved one is inevitable to some degree, be it distance or death, eventually we will all leave those we care about… however; their memory is not so easily destroyed. Remembering someone special even when they aren't there, hoping to someday see each other again… that is what you're desiring, isn't it!?"

"Quit being cryptic and answer the question, damn it!" Hiraku shouted. Suedou began to laugh again before gradually calming down.

"I'll see what we can do. I cannot promise anything, as the process is complicated by this distinct requirement… but if it is possible, I assure you I will do everything in my power to have it grant that wish." Suedou spoke. "If it is in the genuine pursuit of happiness, I cannot refuse such a request! It'll likely have to restrict the numbers of who can and cannot remember to increase the odds of success, but if we could could do this flawlessly, we wouldn't be having this discussion, now would we?"

"…What will happen to you? You're right there in the Eater network, aren't you?" Touma questioned.

"Eaters, and their network, are beings from an even higher dimension that the digital world… to use that tiny woman's terminology, think of it as a "phase above other phases," in terms of structure." Suedou replied. "While I'm sure they are still insignificant to the beings known as "Magic Gods" she referred do, they are higher planes that normally cannot and should not interact with lower planes… and as such, I cannot determine what will become of me when the restoration of both worlds occurs… I could die, I could live as a ghost of the network… or I could find myself wandering around Tokyo as if nothing had happened... it's anyone's guess."

"Hey, what about Yuuko and Yuugo? Those two are still in the digital world!" Nokia suddenly shouted.

"Yggdrasil is acquiring them safe passage home, as he is doing the same for the digimon stranded in the human world. When the process is complete, the restoration and reformatting will begin." Suedou spoke. "It has heard your requests and it is looking into possibilities. I believe it is feeling something akin to… gratitude. I would use this time to bid your partners farewell."

"Not much time, huh…" Touma rubbed his neck. "Not that kind of story where you just beat the final boss and then everything goes back to normal…"

"Never been fond of those stories; kind of boring if you ask me." Ami replied.

"Though, it sucks to not be in one." Keisuke crossed his arms. "A lot of all this information went right over my head… but we have to part ways with our digimon, right?"

"I know what your concern is," Hudiemon spoke. "…But it will be fine. Have faith. Everything will work out."

"Is that the Erika or the Wormmon side of you talking?" Ryuji crossed his arms.

"I-it's both of them! We're one and the same, remember!?" Hudiemon shouted.

"I say it's Erika; she seems a lot more dominant." Chitose added.

"That makes far too much sense…" Keisuke sighed.

"I'll get you back for all three of you bullying me! Mark my words! I'll kick open the gate between worlds if I have to!" Hudiemon called out. The three boys began to laugh but gradually began to embrace the bufferfly digimon.

Erika appeared to be alive and breathing, but a phantom made of Erika's memories fused with Wormmon and became Hudiemon. As such, they became completely different instances.

With Erika's injury finally corrected thanks to a certain frog faced doctor, when the worlds would be re-set, she could finally live a normal life. While at the same time, Hudiemon could live its own life and adventures as it saw fit.

"Hey, Ami; how you feeling?" Arata asked.

"Exhausted and hungry." The cyber sleuth replied. "…But also oddly accomplished and satisfied. I think it's been a good, hard day… if those exist." She shrugged.

"B-but… I have to say goodbye to Omegamon…" Nokia wined.

"And me, more than likely." Alphamon spoke. "I may have lived in a human for years, but I am still a digimon."

"D-don't go saying things that make it worse!" Nokia called out again. Omegamon stepped forward, standing next to her.

"…Nokia," The white knight began. "This is not a permanent goodbye, but a simple farewell for the time. The fact that our worlds could crossover so easily means that it very well it could happen again. Just because we part ways for now does not mean we will never see each other again… no; far from it, I believe."

"Do you… really think so?" Nokia asked.

"I know so; some way or another, we will meet again. I know it." Omegamon replied. Nokia wiped away tears and hugged the digimon's leg.

"Omegamon! You're the best!" She called out.

"…I believe she is attached to you." Alphamon stated.

"And you feel that the girl you've been working with does not feel the same?" The white knight retorted. Alphamon turned to face the cyber sleuth in question.

"…I hope you're not wanting me to repeat all of that." The black knight stated. Ami giggled lightly before crossing her arms behind her back.

"No it's fine… I guess it's just… throughout this whole thing, you've had my back… helped me when I was at my worst… so before we have to say goodbye… I want to say thank you. For everything." Ami smiled.

Alphamon was quiet for a moment.

"…Aiba Ami." It called out. "This case is closed, with a dazzling success I couldn't have possibly imagined. When we meet again, we will have another case to solve, so rest well, ok?"

"You got it!" Ami replied cheerfully.

As various people spoke with one another, as well as calling out their partners to say farewell, Touma watched on.

"Seems like they all have such good friends…" He spoke.

"And what are we? Chopped liver?" Hamazura frowned.

"…You're right, good work; want me to pat your head and rub your belly?" Touma deadpanned.

"Keep your hands to yourself; only my Takitsubo gets to do that, asshole." Hamazura grumbled. "…But it looks like it all worked out, huh?"

"Seems that way…" Touma shrugged. "…Thanks for… well-"

"Tracking you down and forcing you to accept our help?" Mikoto interrupted.

"…Yeah… that." Touma rubbed his neck nervously.

"…Still two minutes on my battery. Got lucky this time, huh?" Accelerator growled. "Kamijou, you're a pain in the ass to keep track of."

"Hey; I don't get a say in most of this. I was conned into the back of a van." Touma grumbled. "And if it wasn't that, I'm sure something else would have happened to drag me along."

"He's right you know." Leivinia added. "I had at least forty-two plans to get him to come to Tokyo with me." She stretched lightly.

"…That girl is a monster, and I'm a lord of digital hell, therefore I know these things rather intimately." Plutomon spoke.

"No kidding…" Accelerator shook his head. "…So what are you going to do?"

"…Be a lord of digital hell?" Plutomon shrugged. "Don't know; might get bored and rip open a hole in space and time to find my way back. I kind of like it here."

"Think you can pull that off?"

"I can sure as shit try!" The demonic digimon replied.

"…Just take care of yourself, alright?" Accelerator spoke.

"…Aww, are you finally starting to care about me?"

"Not at all; die." Accelerator walked away towards his other two digimon with Plutomon following like an annoying little pest. Respectively, most of the group had begun to call out their digimon, feeling that the time for separation was growing close.

As this transpired, Touma heard a set of footsteps behind him. Hiraku was walking up to the unlucky Kamijou with several members of his cabal close behind… and an unconscious Samson Ainsworth slung over his shoulder.

"…Hey," Hiraku called out.

"Call me Kami-yan, and you're getting punched." Touma stated.

"W-what's wrong with that nickname!? It's cool!" Hiraku fired back.

"Cool my ass! All the people who call me it cause trouble for me!"

"…So does that mean I fit right in?" Hiraku grinned. Touma sighed before his gaze moved to the motionless former cabal boss in his arms.

"…We never did find out what made him turn did we?" He asked.

"We got theories… could be that some digimon twisted his mind when he went to the digital world… could be the pressure of the situation weighing on him made him shift his direction… could have always been like that and finally got busted for it when the going got tough… hell; could have been just all the power he had corrupting him…" Hiraku spoke. "…Might even be a combination; this could have been any of us… it just happened to be him who got sucked up into it…"

"What going to happen to him now?"

"Going to turn him in; whatever you did forced his mind and his body back into place, so we can actually make him pay for his crimes… regardless of how or why he became so depraved, it doesn't change what he did; it's his ship to sink on." Hiraku replied. "…Anyway, thanks for… setting us straight. Every single one of us appreciates it."

"Don't think anything of it." Touma replied. "I did all this because I wanted to, not because I had to. Your gratitude is probably better spent on everyone else rather than me."

Hiraku smirked for a moment.

"…Might want to say something to your own partner. I said my piece to GranKuwagamon already… but this'll be the last time you guys see each other for a while." Hiraku stated.

Touma glanced back toward Dorugoramon, and Index who was standing next to him with Calumon in her arms.

"…You have to go soon, don't you?" Index asked her little field.

"Yes… I'm afraid I do." Calumon answered. "Still… who would of though my purpose here was to help handling a monster like that…?"

"Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say." Touma spoke as walked forward. "Well, thanks for coming all this way, even if it jumbled your memories to pull it off. Couldn't have done it without you."

"Of course you couldn't of; I'm the hero of this adventure, after all!" Calumon smirked and crossed his arms. Touma pet the little white digimon's head for a short time.

Before turning to face his partner one final time.

"…So this is it, huh?" Touma called out. "Must have been scary to get dumped into EDEN like that, only to get chased by a bunch of thugs like that Hacker and I, right? Now that it's all over… are you ready to head home?"

Dorugoramon eyed the unlucky Kamijou for a moment. Suddenly, the dragon's body began to glow, and in a brilliant flash of light, he was gone.

…Only to be replaced by a falling Dorumon, who slammed into the unlucky Kamijou's chest, knocking him over.

"Pbfh!? Touma cried out at the sudden impact, Othinus clinging to his jacket for her life.

"I think he regressed so he could say goodbye properly." Calumon stated with a smile. Dorumon was snuggling into the unlucky Kamijou, occasionally looking up to lick his face. Touma couldn't help but laugh at the sudden affection.

"You little fluff ball!" Touma replied, petting the little beast digimon. "With a reaction like that, it sounds like you don't want to go home at all!"

Dorumon yelped a few times, wagging his tail as he rested on the spiky haired teen's chest.

"I think he's saying his home is right here…" Calumon translated. "…Seems like we all got a little attached, huh?"

"That just means that the bonds we forged are worth keeping, that's all." Touma replied, sitting up and holding his partner. "…Listen, it might be sad… but it's just like they've been saying, you know?"

He held the little beast digimon up by his sides.

"This isn't a "goodbye," it's an "I'll see you later." So you better take care of yourself until we see each other again, alright?" He spoke.

Dorumon called out with a smile, wagging his tail back and forth, as the world suddenly was flooded in a brilliant white light.

* * *

 **And here we are, the end of the Climax. I'm really hoping that I understood the ending of Cyber Sleuth and what happened well enough that this conclusion feels believable or at least plausible... stuff got really high concept near the end and I'm just hoping I made it work.**

 **So that's how it all went down! We still have one more chapter, an epilogue to this thing to wrap it up all in one nice little bow.**

 **That said though, next chapter is the finale... so next time will be my last opportunity to respond to reviews properly like this. So if you folks have anything you want to say or ask while I can still respond, feel free. The good, the bad; let it all out. I'll respond to everything as best as I can.**

 **See you guys next time, for the last time with this story!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; Is till enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


	21. A Day in the New World

**And here we are at the end... the last chapter. Rather than respond to reviews here, i'll opt for doing it at the bottom so we can kind of just jump right on in.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

In an instant, reality was overwritten and changed by the power of the ruler of the Digital World, Yggdrasil. Since then, only a single day had gone by… and since then, at times it felt like everything was drastically different… then again, it felt like nothing had changed at all.

Tokyo was a bustling metropolis, as always. Not a single trace of the threat posed by the digital shifts, Eaters, or Millenniummon remained. Buildings crushed had been repaired, and lives destroyed had been restored. It was as if the events of the past months hadn't happened at all.

However, it went much deeper than that. EDEN still existed, but its leadership was very different. Yuuko and Yuugo's late father was alive and well, running the company to the best of his ability, for example.

EDEN Syndrome remained, but its apparent cause was much different. It was explained to be the result of a malicious terrorist attack that rendered thousands comatose, not an onslaught of data-devouring monsters. Shortly after the world had been changed, those in those a coma regained consciousness for the first time in eight years. The cause of this was unknown, but there wasn't much point looking into the explanation for a miracle. This included Yuuko's brother, who had been assigned to rehabilitation due to spending so long in a comatose state.

Similarly, the actions of Samson Ainsworth appeared to be much different, but still warranting investigation by the magic side. His crimes were indeed legitimate in this version of the world, rampaging in EDEN with magic, and thus was captured and shipped to the United Kingdom, awaiting trial. Machina Revolution gave up the cabal boss willingly, and as such, the payment promised to Leivinia Birdway was kept.

A deal was a deal, after all. Satisfied with the results, the blonde cabal boss departed Tokyo… inbound to visit with her sister in Academy City. A demand was subtly laid before a certain spiky haired teen that he was to visit, otherwise misfortune would fall upon him three times as much as usual.

Perhaps the most important change of all… digimon. There was no rip between worlds, and therefore, there was no digimon to be found anywhere. The only semblance of their existence was in an app game on the Digivice, simply called, "Digital Monster." It was a game where one would take care and battle digital companions the player would receive. It appeared to be a recent release, but was a smash hit at launch.

Not one memory of the events leading to this point could be recalled by anyone other than the group that fought Millenniummon since the beginning. The bystanders appeared to have been affected by the shift in memories, and as such, outside of that small group, the near end of the world appeared to have been forgotten by society…

…At least, so it appeared.

 **-Unknown-**

"…So that's how it went down, huh?" Tsuchimikado stated aloud. "Have to say, I'm a little mad that I couldn't participate in that final fight… but I suppose working toward making the option of this event never occurring was important."

"Indeed; with nothing done, it would just happen again. Ensuring that the super computer Yggdrasil became fully aware and had the tools to counteract the action taken was key. I hope your trip wasn't… disruptive."

The blond spy spoke with an unknown person, obscured for a time.

"Nah, it was fine, nya. Digital World was a bit of a cool place." Tsuchimikado rubbed his head. "Still, you could have ended that plot by those royal knights, right?"

"Certain things needed to happen in a certain way to lead to this outcome; I could only help guide it to the correct path. Even if I ended their plot, if things did not go smoothly, everything could have been lost. Kamijou Touma becoming involved with these dealings was a… unexpected event, but those royal knights made to be useful tools in the end. I stepped in when needed… and pulled aside when I was not. Simple as that. If they were not strong enough to deal with the challenges presented, then everything was lost regardless."

"So you called the shots, but if they weren't powerful enough to handle those calls, it didn't matter, huh…?" Tsuchimikado mused. "This really was complicated… if one thing went wrong on either end, it all went up in smoke, huh…?"

"Each and every player was necessary. If even one piece was out of place or didn't fit, the world would have met its end…"

The voice trailed off for a moment before resuming conversation.

"…After all, if I stepped out to deal with it personally, _she_ would have taken advantage of it. This was _her_ plot to undermine the science side and destroy it with its own technological advancement from the start, after all. I wonder how mad _she_ is that an eight-year plot went up in smoke."

 **-Undisclosed Location in Tokyo-**

There was another issue at hand now that Samson Ainsworth had been dealt with, and it was with the leadership of the cabal, Machina Revolution.

Their former boss had led them down a dark path, doing unspeakable thing in the hopes of paradise, or at the very least, bring positive change to the world at large. He led them to EDEN, saying that their future resided there… and while he was correct, it was not in the way anyone imagined.

Their leadership had used them, and zealots devoted to his cause rose from within the organization's ranks to support his ideals. Although these pockets of resistance were dealt with, these weren't just random people… these were friends, some close enough to be family. To see people like that suddenly turn on the others was beyond devastating.

Moral was broken by betrayal. They had no one to guide the group to their next destination. The crisis had been adverted, yes, but it was one of their own making in the first place.

If they continued to spin their wheels after everything had happened, they would eventually break apart completely, each one's respective goals unfulfilled.

Something had to be done.

"M-me!?" Hiraku stuttered out.

"Yes, you; as if there would be anyone else they'd approve of after everything that happened." The woman known as Veronica spoke. "There are few who get along with as many people as you, so the choice was obvious."

"You're kidding right…? Me in charge!? I made an ass out of myself this entire time!" Hiraku argued. "As if… I could fill those shoes as the leader…"

"Yes, you are a hot-blooded idiot; that much was made very clear as things proceeded." The woman adjusted her glasses, a new addition to her outfit.

"H-harsh! That's exactly what I'm saying, but hearing it out loud feels like I'm being stabbed…!" The wind mage doubled over.

"…But, even still… you never lost your heart… for us, or the people classified as our enemies." Veronica spoke. "We remember… when you would express grief having to do things you hated, hurting lives for our own goals… the few times we were forced to kill them, you would always stay behind and bury them, offering a prayer to whatever god they worshiped in hopes that their soul would find peace."

Those sitting around in the room spoke softly, mostly in agreement.

"…We are not destined to be monsters that end lives for our own benefit… we are a collection of people wronged by the world." Veronica stated. "We wish to use our power to aid it; to ensure what happened to each and every one of us never happens again… most of us lost ourselves to that goal of peace, inspired by the dreams of paradise… but even as we spiraled down, you stayed true. You remained loyal to our ideals to the end… and were the first to rise up against the poison infecting us. That is why… you might be a hot blooded idiot… but you're our hot blooded idiot; the one who stays true to his ideals no matter what… and that is what I believe to be the very thing we need."

The room grew silent for a moment as she spoke.

"…Listen… I…" Hiraku rubbed his neck. "…Is that really what everyone wants?"

Not a single one spoke up. No one denied the suggestion being presented.

"…Alright… ok…" The wind mage nodded. "I… have no clue where we go from here… but if I'm who you want… I'll give it my best, just like I've always had!"

He gripped the tip of his general hat with a wide smile as the crowd cheered. When it began to die down, he spoke again.

"Alright, first things first; to prevent a one-sided situation like before, we need some checks and balances around here!" Hiraku spoke. "It's an idea I got; sure I have the leader slot for decision making, but I figure having some people a step right below me could help keep me in check, as well as adding a nice set of focal points for anyone who has questions about what we're doing."

"I think that's agreeable…" Veronica nodded.

"Good; because you're one of them." Hiraku smiled.

"E-eh!? Me!?" The woman sputtered.

"That's right, decision is final." The new cabal boss crossed his arms. "Don't even try to resign; I'll reject it every time!"

"…This is punishment for my pep-talk, isn't it…?" Veronica sighed.

"Hey; if you never thought about holding an administrative position, you wouldn't have joined up to begin with!" Hiraku announced. "But we can't have just one… who are the other two you usually work with? Their names escape me for the moment…"

"…Samuel… and Matthew…" She slowly answered.

"Y-you're kidding…!" One male voice spoke up.

"Just like that!?" Another exclaimed.

"Yes, just like that!" Hiraku stated. "You three have worked together well in the past, so I believe you three would be perfect; just apply that professionalism you got to this new roles you have and it'll work out! You shall be my Three Heavenly Kings!"

"…I'm a woman, you moron!" Veronica shouted. "Hold on… what about… em… the Three Heavenly Generals? Would that be better? "

"But I'm the general!" Hiraku fired back, gripping the tip of his hat.

"…S-so… you've given this a lot of thought, I see…" The woman replied.

They clearly had much to figure out about themselves, but at the very least, they had someone to unite their banners behind.

…For better or for worse.

 **-Nakano Broadway-**

Then, there was the topic of the group who fought the monster Millenniummon themselves…

"S-so… in EDEN… Yuuko was… playing Yuugo…?" Touma questioned, rubbing his head. "And now the real Yuugo is recovering in the hospital…?"

"I'm… sorry for deceiving you like that…" Yuuko spoke.

"…So you're the one who blatantly conned me that one time…"

"I-I'm sorry for that too! And for not being able to help with the final battle! I'm so sorry!" Yuuko bowed as she sat.

"…Hey, don't you think your grilling her a little too hard?" Arata stated.

Touma, along with Othinus and Index, were sitting at one of the restaurants at Nakano Broadway. Joining them were Yuuko, Arata, Nokia, and finally, Ami. Index was inhaling large quantities of food, as usual, while the others shared a bit of conversation.

"I mean… she did con him into doing her dirty work; that's messed up no matter how you slice it…" Nokia stated.

"That's not helping, Akkino-san…" Ami nervously replied.

"Eh… honestly, it's water under the bridge for me. It happened I guess, but it's not a big deal… plus, it's not like she backed out of her side of it; got paid for it anyway…" Touma sighed. "…Not that it mattered; all of it evaporated the moment I got my hands on it… such misfortune."

"S-still… I'm sorry for putting you through that…" Yuuko frowned.

"Believe me; you're not even in the top ten of people who have wronged this human." Othinus stated.

"We could name off a few situations if you want examples." Index added, taking a small break from her meal.

"Denied; stuff like that is best saved for another time." Touma interrupted. "…Besides, that rabbit hole is one I'm not fond revisiting…"

"Come on, it's not like you've died before, or anything." Arata joked.

The unlucky Kamijou simply blinked a few times before poking at his food as if he had suddenly lost his appetite.

"…You're kidding, right?" Arata frowned.

"I don't want to talk about it… it's personal…" Touma mumbled, still picking at his meal.

"It is not a story for the faint of heart." Othinus nodded in agreement.

"W-well… em… h-hey! Your friend sure can pack it away, huh?" Nokia moved to change the topic, sensing the awkward aura emanating from the area.

"She's always been like that… you put her in front of a buffet and she'll eat until it's gone… I swear she's a black hole." Touma blinked.

"H-hey! I'm not a black hole!" Index shouted.

"Funny; Yuuko is the same way." Arata stated.

"E-eh? Is that… weird? I-I… just love food… is all." Yuuko remarked.

"Nah, only weird part is where everything you eat goes…" Nokia stated. "You at least are developing into a beautiful girl with curves like me! The nun on the other hand…"

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" Index snapped.

"I believe she's commenting that despite eating the human out of house and home on a daily basis, you are flat as a board and your hip-game is non-existent." Othinus nodded.

"…Hip-game…?" Touma deadpanned.

"H-how dare you! All girls develop in different ways and at different times you… you boobie-monster!" Index shouted at Nokia.

"W-why are you yelling at me!? The fairy is the one that said it!" The redhead cried out.

"Call me a fairy again, see what happens…!" The magic god mumbled, a dark aura coming from her body.

"B-besides! Boobie-monster!? What the hell makes me a boobie monster!?" Nokia shouted.

"…You do have the largest chest out of everyone in the room, Akkino-san." Ami sighed.

"S-so what!? My body is a beautiful temple that should be complimented, not insulted!" Nokia fired back. "After all, I don't recall anyone saying anything about Kuremi-san! Why am I the target!?"

"One… I don't think anyone was brave enough to say anything." Arata stated. "Two… she walked around in an open blouse and hot-pants that just barely fit; I think sex appeal was her intent from the start."

"It's hard to say with her… she was always… unusual." Yuuko commented.

"…Ha, that would be like her. Completely ignoring how sexualized her outfit was and just saying, "Well, it's comfortable, so it's fine." That is definitely how she would behave…" Ami sighed briefly.

"I saw that her detective agency is still there… have you been able to meet her again?" Touma asked.

"Well, the one I knew ended up being Alphamon, who is long gone…" Ami mused. "…But I have knocked on the door once or twice; no answer. If she is around, she might be on a case or something… even if we don't hit it off like before, just touching base with her to know that she's ok would be nice…"

"I wouldn't worry… I'm sure it will work out in the end." Touma nodded.

"I feel the same… thanks." Ami smiled. "So! How long you think you're going to stay in Tokyo? Do you know?"

"Probably head out tomorrow. Need to at least get settled back at home before the school week starts." The unlucky Kamijou spoke. "But until then, I'm free I think. Just need to make one stop before heading off to do whatever."

"Sure; where to?" Ami asked.

"A certain internet café." The spiky haired teen replied.

 **-Hudie Internet Café-**

"So this is the friend that you told me about?"

Touma and his friends entered the building to find Keisuke in question taking a coffee break, sitting across from another friend. He appeared to be an effeminate male with purple hair and eyes, wearing a light purple hoodie, black shirt, and white pants. It actually took a fair bit of observation to tell whether or not he was a boy to a girl, but he didn't mind too much; it appeared to be normal for him.

"I'm… assuming I'm him? Unless there's another unlucky moron wandering around here behind my back trying to steal my thunder." Touma shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't think that's likely." The male laughed lightly. "My name is Nogi Yu; it's a pleasure to meet you."

As they spoke, the rest of the group wandered over the café area.

"Man… I've always seen this place from the outside here in Ikebukuro… never went inside because it looked shady to me…" Nokia commented.

"It's fine; it's a good place run by good folks." Arata stated.

"Is that so?" Ryuji stepped out from the computer area upon noticing an unusually large number of patrons arriving at the establishment.

"…Yeah, looks nice, even if run by a Hacker team. I have to say though, the destroyed rubble look you had before didn't do your business any favors; glad you changed it back." Arata slipped his hands into his pockets.

The feeling of tension spread as the two stared each other down. Touma's group didn't know, but there was some definite bad blood between Ryuji and Arata, due to previously being on the Hacker team known as Jude that had less than a pleasant break-up.

However…

"…Got to agree with you; I had no idea what I was thinking with that." Ryuji crossed his arms. "Guess I was just going through a phase… glad some folks pulled me out of it."

"Good god… I was worried I was going to have to step in…" Chitose came out as well.

"Hey, Chitose-san!" Nokia called out. "I'd say long time no see, but we just saw each other yesterday! I forgot to ask before though… how did you get out of the hospital? I thought you were attacked by an Eater?"

"Well you see, as my conscious mind wandered through their network, looking for any opportunity to escape, I managed to sweet-talk one of the cuter looking ones into letting me go with my dashing personality, and dragged myself back with my bare hands. Pretty cool, huh?" The blond hacker smiled wide.

"…Really? That's what you're going with?" Arata frowned.

"What? It's more believable than how it actually happened! Cut me some slack!" Chitose fired back.

Arata sighed and shook his head, but gradually began to smile.

"…You haven't changed a bit, you skirt chasing bastard." He stated.

"What can I say? I like to be consistent." Chitose joked.

"Heh… Arata is having fun." Nokia commented.

"They appear to be old friends… its good to see them getting along though." Yuuko mused, observing the situation at hand.

"Normal coffee… heaven…" Ami remarked blissfully as she poured herself a cup.

"Usually customers have to pay for that… but I think we can let it slide this one time." Keisuke commented with a nod.

"…I'm hungry." Index stated.

"You're always hungry." Othinus growled, not amused by the comment.

"Don't fight you two…" Touma warned. "…Hey, Keisuke?"

"Yeah? What's up?" The Hudie hacker replied.

"Well… eh, I'll ask the hard question." The spiky haired teen crossed his arms. "…How is she doing?"

Keisuke paused at the question. After a moment, he stood up from the table.

"Well… it'll be easier to just show you." He stated before walking towards the back. Touma cautiously followed.

In the back, there were two doors. Keisuke knocked on one a few times, and after not hearing a reply, slowly opened it to reveal…

…A massive array of computers and monitors, all hooked together taking up a full corner of the small room. Moreover, in front of it all was a lone girl around Keisuke's age.

"…What is it?" Erika turned to face the two peering into her private room.

"…Nothing, just making sure you were here and well." Keisuke smiled warmly.

Erika flushed a shade of red before abruptly turning back toward her computer.

"…Don't say such embarrassing things." She huffed out.

"She still taking her medicine?" Touma asked.

"I am; you don't have to dote on me either, Kamijou." The sullen girl growled, quickly losing the embarrassed tone she had before.

"Yeah… she's fine. Right here where she usually is." Keisuke stated.

"Old frog-faced doctor does good work, huh?" Touma commented. "Anyway… just wanted to check in on you guys and make sure everything was alright… considering what happened to her, it was pretty up in the air with how thing was going to turn out…"

"Yeah… I hope Hudiemon is enjoying herself in the digital world." Keisuke stated. "So; what are you going to do now?"

"Plan at the moment is to bum around Tokyo for a day then head back Sunday." The unlucky Kamijou shrugged. "As for specifically what… I don't know; it's not my area."

"…I know an arcade in Akihabara that has all the latest stuff." Erika stated. "That would be a good place to start."

"Akihabara, huh…" Touma mused. "It's something alright."

"…We could take the rest of the day off; it has been a slow one." Keisuke stated. "If we went, would you want to come, Erika?"

"Not really, I don't see much of a point." She started as she began clicking away on her whale plushy that doubled as a keyboard. "There's nothing in it for me, is there?"

"Well, you'd get to spend time with Keisuke outside of work." Touma suggested, but it didn't seem to go very far. "…You'd also get the perfect opportunity to lose miserably at the games."

This however gave the sullen girl pause.

"…What was that?" She turned with a glare.

"Nothing; nothing at all."

"No; repeat what you just said." Erika narrowed her eyes.

"If you're that mad, I'm pretty sure you heard me loud and clear." Touma give a cheeky smile.

"…Kamijou-san, are you sure triggering her competitive side is a good idea?" Keisuke whispered.

"Hey; you want her out of her room or not? This is the best idea I got." Touma answered in a hushed tone. Erika stood up before turning around and walking past the duo towards the front end, but left a single message behind as she did so.

"I'm going to destroy you."

Touma could only laugh nervously as she marched ahead.

"Ha… ha-ha… Amazawa-san, c-can you back me up with this?" He asked.

"Not a chance; you dug the hell your about to walk into yourself." Keisuke crossed his arms.

After successfully luring Ryuji's sister out of her den, the two made their way back towards the front… only to discover that a disturbance had arrived.

"…Biri-biri." Touma blinked.

"Call me that again, see what happens you idiot!" Mikoto sparked.

"Hey, no electricity in the café; we have sensitive equipment here." Ryuji shouted.

"Sorry, sorry!" Hamazura called out. "I stopped the car and she kind of just ran inside…"

"…I forget sometimes that you know how to drive…" Touma blinked.

"Drive, break in, hotwire, rig… if it involves a car I can probably do it." Hamazura mused.

"…Man, we've been needing someone who can drive for a while…" Chitose mused.

"Too bad; I've got a girlfriend back home to get to, so I don't have any intention of moving in." The dirty blond spoke.

"Speaking of that, I'm guessing Accelerator already went back?" Touma asked.

"Yeah; the edgy jackass got on a flight back home last night when everyone else went to sleep." Mikoto stated.

"Makes sense… he does have people to take care of back at home… and has an anti-social streak…" The unlucky Kamijou mused. "Well, I intend to stay here for a day then find my way back. This is probably the one and only time where I'll find myself here in Tokyo where the world isn't in danger at the moment… plus I did make some friends here… so finding a good way to say goodbye is in my to-do list…"

Hamazura and Mikoto exchanged looks before refocusing on the spiky haired teenager.

"…Yeah; hope you don't mind, but we're not going to let you out of our sight for a while." Hamazura spoke.

"E-eh? C-come on, I'm not that hopeless, am I!?" Touma shouted.

"So, what's the plan? Where are we headed?" Mikoto walked past the unlucky Kamijou, ignoring his objection completely. Hamazura followed suit with nothing but a pleasant whistle.

"Akihabara." Erika quickly answered.

"Aww man! Akihabara! This is going to be awesome!" Nokia commented.

"Well, they went and invited themselves, Kamijou-san! What are you going to do?" Ami asked.

"…Nod and accept. Such misfortune…" Touma sat down at a table and pulled out his phone and Digivice. "Keisuke, I'm going to leech off your wi-fi here for a little bit if you don't mind."

"Sure, it's cool." Keisuke answered. "Mind if I ask why though?"

"I… kind of caved and got that Digital Monster app." Touma sighed. "I can mirror it to my phone as long as I have my Digivice on, so figured that'd be more convenient since we have a big group here and all."

"Missing a certain someone, are we?" Aimi joked.

"Quiet you." Touma frowned as he began tapping away. "I just downloaded it back at the hotel and didn't have much time to really get started. I think it gives you a rookie level at the start… then as you cycle through its lives you have to go through the baby stages."

"Sounds about right. Anyone just starting out but serious about getting digimon had to do that." Keisuke pondered.

"You only had the one, didn't you?" Ami asked.

"Yup; just Dorumon. It probably would have made things easier if I went collecting, but I never really intended for it to become a hobby or anything, so…" The unlucky Kamijou shrugged. "It all worked out; Dorumon ended up being enough."

"Well, hurry up! Start it; I want to see who you get!" Ami shook Touma's arm to hurry him along.

"Don't rush him; you might break his phone." Keisuke warned.

"Hold on, now it's going through some tutorial stuff…" Touma sighed. He only could tap away to speed things along just a little bit. Finally, what looked like an egg popped up on screen and the HUD was encouraging him to rub the egg to hatch it.

After a moment, the egg bounced. Another moment; it bounced twice. The third time a crack started to form, and after a brilliant flash of light, the digimon the spiky haired teen would receive was revealed.

Its form was unmistakable. It was a small animal of some kind with a set of clawed arms and legs and a long tail, accompanied by purple fur on most of its body, except for its chest, paws, snout and the very tip of its long tail. It had two pointed ears with black stripes and two very small black wings on its back. It looked up at the camera and yelped, showing a triangular red gem on its brow when it was done.

Touma was unsure of what to say, and stared at the screen for a short time as the game named the particular digimon he had received. When the words did come, he wanted to smack himself for not thinking of them sooner.

There was only really one set of words he needed to say, after all.

"…Welcome home, little guy."

* * *

 **And here we are at the bottom. For the last time in this story.**

 **So! Now that it's all said and done, what do you think? Did this random idea come together into a good story?**

 **Seems like everyone got something of a happy ending. Touma somehow avoids hospital, the business with the Eaters are dealt with, Samson is turned in and somehow, Hiraku takes his place as Cabal Boss. We even have a little fluffy ending.**

 **Oh, and don't worry about who "Her" is, it's not sequel bait. If your confused, that might be kind of normal; for those who are caught up on the Light Novel however, who "Her" is should be fairly obvious. Bonus points to those who can guess.**

 **With those little bits out of the way... let's do some reviews!**

 _whwsms:_ I'm glad that you were able to stick things out, despite your lack of knowledge. Guess if it was good enough that you were able to keep with it, despite its odd-ness, there must be at least a little quality here, eh? Still, thank you for coming with me on this unusual adventure involving a series you really don't know; I really appreciate it.

 _Animan10:_ Sometimes the strange ideas are the ones that are best to follow! Going against the grain can be dangerous, but can yield unusual results!

 _fangs of death:_ Glad you liked how it all ended out! Sadly, this one is pretty open and shut in terms of thoughts about sequels. This one is just its own story, no real plans to make a second one.

 _Stitches:_ Aww... don't cry! After all, we just had that fluffy ending! Glad you enjoyed the final boss and all the chaos it brought! I have some ideas: for some reason, Kuroko with Minervamon makes sense for me, and Estelle... how about a BlackGatomon? I don't have a whole lot of thoughts on the others, but that's my thoughts!

 _Mr. X:_ Believe me; I know its a problem... and your reading these chapters after several proofreads, cutting down on repeating words and phrases. I'm working on it, but it's not a problem that'll be going away anytime soon I think... It doesn't need to work on Touma persay; it just needs to affect everyone else. Sorry that I could give you your kissing scene, but I didn't want to get heavy handed with couplings/romance this time around. Wanted to let people draw their own conclusions, I suppose. I hope the ending you did get was satisfying though.

 _MrQuestionMark:_ Sadly, all jounries must come to an end... but at least the adventure was fun, right? It was definitely a group effort; everyone coming together to save the world. Samson was definitely a character; his ideals lead him down a dark path as his thoughts and tactics became more and more twisted and depraved, until it eventually created Millenniumon, threatening everyone just so he can have what he wants; what he wanted was good, but how he got there and what he'd have to do were just too much to accept. I hope you have enjoyed this final chapter!

 _WiliamZ0:_ That's fine; I kind of guessed that. Everyone comming together to save the world, rather than just a handful of people, is something I really like in possible "End of the World" situations; its not just the main characters at threat, its everyone, so I like to have it so everyone in some way gets involved... even if I couldn't clue in every side character from both games just due to sheer cast size. Yeah... I can see your point... but DoruGoramon would have wrecked house if Touma got him too early. Maybe if we had different or possibly more digimon I could have changed it up, but I really wanted to focus on Just Dorumon. I waited a week to give everyone a chance to read/review if they wanted, sorry for the wait!

 _wiliamsusanto:_ Yes... sadly, this story is over. NT22 was great, but each novel just makes more questions than answers!

 **And those are the reviews.**

 **As said, there likely wont be a sequel to this. One, it's based on the timeline of two games, and two, its designed to its own story. It's pretty likely that this will just be bit. Sorry if that disappoints anyone.**

 **And... well, this is the end. The end of this grand journey that took me nearly a year to write. Been through a lot of personal stuff while writing this... it took way more work than I though to get everything just right to. Very careful hands working ever so slowly.**

 **I knew this would never be a mainstream story, even by crossover standards... but I was pleasantly surprised! There were way more people in support of this than I thought there'd be! Hell, there were more people who actually knew both Index AND Cyber Sleuth who were interested than I thought there would be. A shock to say the least! To those who stuck this out, whether you knew the source works or not... thank you. Seriously, it means a lot to me that I could make this and have people support it, despite it's oddness.**

 **Thus... that's the end. The end to this Labor of Love. It'll be a bit before I post another story. I'll still be working on BUI, once a month like always, in-between other projects. April's might be a little late, but its due to cirumstances outside of my control. The moment I can post it, I will, so please be patient, both with waiting for that next chapter and in waiting for my next big story.**

 **That said... there's only one more set of lines to say!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.**

 **Have a good day, my friends! See you all next time!**

 **Sincerely,**  
 **ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.**


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